"Regular naps prevent old age, especially if you take them while driving"
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Portal on travel news and maritime chronicles around the world, with the latest events about the liquid element, including places to visit for vacations, ship's and scuba diving information.
15 January 2011
Tugboat skipper a "hero" for keeping Riverwalk away from Gateway Bridge
The Australian -
A Brisbane tugboat captain is being hailed a hero after shepherding a breakaway section of the city's Riverwalk through floodwaters to prevent it colliding with a major bridge.
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said today the skipper's skilful work had "saved lives". "He is a local hero."
Concerns the 300m-section of boardwalk could crash into the supports of the Gateway Bridge caused it to be shadowed by water police as it floated down the swollen Brisbane River and out to Moreton Bay.The section had broken away at about 11pm at New Farm last night and gathered debris as it moved.The police launch Vigilant was used to escort the platform down the river.Dramatic television footage this morning showed it being nudged by the tugboat to keep it away from boats and the bridge."That was some of the most extraordinary footage we have seen. That guy is a local hero," Ms Bligh said.
"I think there is a children's book called The Little Tugboat That Could and I was watching it thinking 'I think I can, I think I can'."
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Australia flood clean-up starts, tough task ahead
Ed Davies -
Australia's third-largest city started cleaning up stinking mud and debris on Friday after some of the country's worst floods on record, but in a sign of the task ahead, it could take six months to pump flood waters out of Queensland's coal mines.
Photo Australian Department of Defence/Handout
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A conversation with Pierre-Yves Cousteau
Robbin Whachell -
I had the pleasure of meeting Pierre-Yves Cousteau during his recent trip to The Bahamas to promote and educate on shark conservation. He came to Grand Bahama with a senior associate of the PEW Environment Group, and two members of the Bahamas National Trust (BNT) based in Nassau.
He was visiting the Bahamas to show his support for the BNT’s campaign to strengthen the protection of sharks in The Bahamas, and he gave a public talk at Trust's Rand Nature Center on January 10th.
We met for breakfast the morning he was to head back to Paris where he lives and I had the pleasant opportunity to pick his brain. Pierre-Yves Cousteau is the youngest son of famed oceanographer and environmentalist Jacques Cousteau. I recall many memories from my childhood sitting in front of the TV watching documentaries on the underworld of the sea, all thanks to such a man as Cousteau. He certainly broadened our knowledge of the wet world below. Cousteau speaks with a clear, almost full American accent, and when I questioned him on his near extinct French accent, he told me that it was due to attending an American school in France for the first part of his life. Pierre-Yves has a striking resemblance to his father, and although many believe him to be the grandson, due to his young age of 29, he is indeed the son of Jacques. "My father was 72 years old when I was born," he said. "My father created the Cousteau Society in 1973," started Pierre, "to not only protect life on earth, and in the seas, but so his work would continue after his death.He nominated my mother as the president of that organization, and today my mother and I are the only two Cousteaus working in the Society. The other Cousteaus are still involved with the environment, but not directly affiliated with my father's society."
Photo Robbin Whachell
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Net penetration equipment
Hydro International -
Adaptive Methods has released NET PEN, a fishing net penetrator. The NET PEN provides the means for an Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) to cut through nets and continue on its mission. Theinternal-mounted NET PEN is adaptable to a wide range of vehicle sizes.
It is intended to mount within a UUVs nosecone without affecting existing equipment (e.g., forward-looking sonar arrays), and integrates with existing UUV power and propulsion systems to detect, deploy, penetrate, and retract, upon contact with a net.
External hull-mounted NET PEN is also available, which will ensure unencumbered net penetration, for UUVs with larger protruding surfaces such as masts, snorkels, etc.Adaptive Methods can design, prototype, integrate, test, and manufacture NET PEN to address virtually any production-UUV net-mitigation deficiency, or to meet any new or developing programme requirement.
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PADI improves regional service
Divernet -
PADI’s European, Middle Eastern and African operations are to benefit from a more highly integrated provision of services to members.
The creation of a new regional headquarters, PADI EMEA (PADI Europe, Middle East and Africa) has been announced by the US-based scuba trainer.
PADI EMEA will be based at the current PADI International Ltd office in Bristol, England, whose remit already includes the Middle Eastern and African operations. However, improved internal management structures are to link Bristol with other European PADI offices in Goteborg, Sweden and Hettlingen, Switzerland to provide a more effective, centralised service.This, says PADI, will combine "the talent and resources of the three offices to provide PADI members with an unparalleled level of support, services and products".On hand will be specialists ranging from those who have "run thousands of Discover Scuba sessions in the Maldives” to those who have "conducted tec diving courses in the frozen Baltic Sea”.PADI EMEA will also "extend its service hours, centralize its phone system, expand online services and provide customer support in more than twenty languages”.Posted via http://batavia08.posterous.com batavia08's posterous
Maritime bonanza as Brunel Institute opens
Maritime Journal -
A world class library, archive and education centre known as the Brunel Institute officially opened its doors in the UK Port of Bristol just in time for the recent holiday season.
The Brunel Institute sits alongside Brunel’s ss Great Britain, the great Victorian engineer’s masterpiece and only surviving ship, now at the heart of a multi-award winning museum and visitor attraction. Admission to the Brunel Institute, which is also managed by the ss Great Britain Trust, is free of charge to all.
Staff and volunteers expect the Brunel Institute, with its National Brunel Archive and David MacGregor Library, to appeal to researchers and enthusiasts, those with a passion for the Brunel’s work and for maritime history, as well as to local residents.
Rare items include the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s drawing instruments, his diaries, and photographs of the Clifton Suspension Bridge during its early build. An innovative collaboration with the University of Bristol sees the important Brunel holdings of that institution also joining the Institute to form the National Brunel Archive.
The Brunel Institute holds around 45,000 items, including 4,500 maritime, engineering and shipbuilding books, 2,000 ship plans, 100 ship models, 35,000 maritime photographs, passenger and crew diaries and letters, 50 films, the Lloyd’s Register dating back to the 1700s, and the Illustrated London News.
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14 January 2011
Human skull found by federal scuba-diving team in Florida
Mike M. Ahlers -
A federal scuba-diving team conducting a training dive in a Miami canal last week made a grisly discovery -- a human skull, authorities said Tuesday.
The team was conducting routine training January 5 in the Palmetto Bay area when a diver discovered the skull in about 15 to 20 feet of water, said Nicole Navas, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
An initial assessment by the Miami-Dade Police Department determined the skull probably belonged to a black male, 25 to 45 years old, Navas said. The time and cause of death could not immediately be determined.
The Miami-Dade medical examiner's office took custody of the skull for investigation.
A spokesman for the medical examiner said that in addition to looking for evidence of homicide, suicide, accidental death or natural death, his examiners also will consult with a local expert on Afro-Caribbean religions.
"Periodically, human skulls found in our jurisdiction are traced to Santeria or Palo Mayombe source," said spokesman Larry Cameron.
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New scheme launched for 'bleached and dying' coral life
Conservationists led by scientists from the Zoological Society of London have launched a new drive to save some of the world's most endangered corals.
The new EDGE Coral Reefs programme lists the most endangered corals and has enlisted scientists around the world to educate local communities on their importance.
The most dire predictions suggest that tropical coral reefs will be all but extinct within the next half a century, with rising sea temperatures posing the greatest threat.
Coral reefs are not just beautiful explosions of colour and sea life - they protect coastal communities from storms and the fish and shrimp they sustain feed people the world over.
But the reefs are in immediate danger from a host of sources.
Top of the list is the threat from rising sea temperatures, which results in "coral bleaching". This involves the loss of algae cells called zooxanthellae, which renders the coral unable to photosynthesise.
While the coral can survive temporary spikes in ocean temperature and the resulting bleaching, longer-term temperature rises kill the marine organisms.
Other threats include ocean acidification, as the seas absorb increased levels of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
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Dumfries-born explorer Jock Wishart prepares for rowing trip to North Pole
DG Standard -
Explorer Jock Wishart has found a crew member to join him on a 450-mile rowing trip to the North Pole.
The adventurer from Dumfries (pictured) is leading the challenge, a world first, to highlight the effect of climate change on polar ice.It follows his two previous North Pole trips and a row across the Atlantic.Twenty-eight-year-old British Army officer David Mans, who has commanded soldiers in the Middle East, won a recent competition to join the mission.Jock, a direct descendant of Rabbie Burns, told the Standard: “I was gobsmacked by the amount of talent out there and we had a difficult job choosing the winner. We had hundreds of people entering the competition from competitive rowers to military men.”And training is well under way for the Old Pulteney Pole Position Challenge which takes place in July.In a specially designed boat, Mr Wishart and his five-strong crew will set off from Resolute Bay in Canada and row across the Arctic to the magnetic North Pole.The four to six-week voyage has never been tackled before and is only possible now due to increased seasonal ice-melt.Posted via http://batavia08.posterous.com batavia08's posterous
Aquarena Springs is one of Texas' strangest scuba spots
For quite some time, Aquarena Springs was home to an amusement park in San Marcos, Texas, but unfortunately that’s no longer the case. However, the place is now run by Texas State University and they’re happy to show you all of the treasures found under the sea.
To keep things preserved for future divers you are not just allowed to jump right into the water here, as you need to take one of the monthly dive authorization courses. Hit the water with conservationists and dive experts to learn the dos and don’ts diving in this area—like when to keep your hands to yourself. Just be prepared to shell out around $230 for the pleasure to do so. Once you get access to the underwater world expect to see some of the area’s most endangered species. There’s critters and creatures like the blind salamander, Fountain darter, Comal Springs riffle beetle, Comal Springs dyropid beetle, Peck's cave amphipod, and San Marcos gambusia. We definitely are not familiar with all (or any) of them, but we’d sure like to see them if it involves getting down under the surface. If not, they are probably hanging around the aquarium where you can stop after changing back into dry clothes. We realize scuba diving isn’t for everyone, so there are other options at the strange scuba spot. Glass bottom boats reveal the creatures and fishies living below the surface, while keeping passengers entertained—and dry—up on deck. Tours aboard the boats are only $9 per person and last for about 30 minutes, best of all your ticket will get you free access to the aquarium and the boardwalk as well.Posted via http://batavia08.posterous.com batavia08's posterous
Coral species may be extinct within 50 years
-
Scientists have identified the ten coral species at greatest risk of becoming extinct.
Led by experts at London Zoo, the Edge Coral Reefs project has prioritized the most evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered species that conservationists fear will die out in the next 50 years.
Among those singled out as urgently in need of conservation are the crisp pillow coral, which resembles a brain, and the elegance coral, which has glowing tubular tentacles.
Current worst case predictions suggest that tropical coral reefs, which have evolved over millions of years, will be functionally extinct within the next 30 to 50 years.
Saving these species could hold the key to the future adaptation of coral reefs to climate change, the scientists said at the project's launch today.
The other species prioritized include are the pearl bubble coral, which is a favored food source of the hawksbill turtle, and the Mushroom coral, which supports at least 15 brightly colored shrimp including the popcorn shrimp.
The species are found in some of the world’s most famous coral reefs, from the Great Barrier Reef to the waters surrounding the Chagos Archipelago.
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Haunting tales from harbour
A shady past might not be Newcastle’s most renowned attraction but the harbour certainly has a dark side.
That part of the region’s history will be explored as part of the Newcastle Maritime Centre’s Harbour Ghost Walks, operating throughout the school holidays.Centre manager Richard Howard said there was a treasure trove of scurvy tales behind the port, which was crowded with hundreds of ships. Mr Howard said the crowded harbour had suited the practice of ‘‘shanghaiing’’ or kidnapping sailors to work on vessels.‘‘Newcastle was one of the leading ports for shanghaiing and crimping crews,’’ Mr Howard said.‘‘In those days there were no telegraphs, so people would go missing and they might not ever be heard from again.’’ Mr Howard said the harbour’s sense of history and atmosphere had drawn plenty of attention, but there were plans to take the tours on to the water when funding was available.The tours cost $10 and operate every Friday from 8pm.Bookings are essential.
Photo Kitty Hill
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USBL for Tidal Energy Positioning
Hydro International -
One of the latest renewable energy sources currently being investigated for future large scale commercial deployment is tidal energy that exploits the natural ebb and flow of coastal tidal waters.
As with other energy sources offshore, innovations to harness tidal forces often throw up additional operational difficulties particularly to do with positioning of the devices on the ocean floor and their connections to shore.
Triscom have recently added the latest USBL positioning system, the Applied Acoustics' Easytrak Nexus, to its equipment pool to meet the increasing requirement for accurate underwater positioning tasks.
Triscom is experienced in hydrographic/seabed survey and is recently involved in the installation and testing of a tidal energy test rig off the Orkney Isles in Scotland.
"We were required to inspect some subsea cabling in the area of a massive OpenHydro tidal turbine off the island of Eday in Orkney,
" stated Tristan Thorne, the senior surveyor, "because it was important to know what was happening in the deep inlet where surges of water are funneled along a particular channel.
As the turbine is mounted on the seabed, deep enough not to interfere with shipping traffic, its positioning is critical as are the cables in the vicinity that lead to shore."
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Protector of the turtle in Bali
Budiartha & Dipolah Seng -
Wayan Raga can usually be found by the shallow turtle pool in his garden. The area is filled with dozens of turtles swimming in the pool or just lazing around the yard. Some are an inch in size, others measure a meter long.
“Here is a new hatchling, just one month old. That one there is four months old. The one in the cage next to it is four years old,” said the renowned Balinese turtle breeder. “The 4-year-old, already quite large, is a favorite of the visitors who come here.” From the care and attention Wayan shows the gentle sea creatures, you would never guess that he once made a living hunting and selling them for their meat. “After 20 years of hunting and trading turtles, I now realize that there is something very wrong in the way we exploit nature,” he said. Wayan established Citra Taman Penyu in 2001 at his home on Pulau Serangan, or Turtle Island, 250 meters off the southeast coast of Bali. It is an organization that works to protect and breed sea turtles, a job Wayan considers atonement for his past actions. After he graduated from junior high school in Denpasar, Wayan decided to become a turtle-hunter. At the time, in 1971, there were no restrictions on killing turtles and the work promised a good living. Before the hunting of turtles in Indonesia was banned in the early 1990s, demand for their meat, for both consumption and ceremonial purposes, was very high in Bali.
Photo Budiartha
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Brazil flood death toll rises to 482, more feared
Sergio Queiroz -
Rescue workers dug for survivors on Thursday and struggled to reach areas cut off by floods and landslides that have killed at least 482 people in one of Brazil's deadliest natural disasters in decades.
Torrents of mud and water set off by heavy rains left a trail of destruction through the mountainous Serrana region near Rio de Janeiro, toppling houses, buckling roads and burying entire families as they slept."It's like an earthquake struck some areas," said Jorge Mario, the mayor of Teresopolis, where more than 200 people were killed and scores more are feared to be dead."The death toll is going to climb a lot. There are a lot of people buried who can't get help because rescue teams can't get there," Mario said, adding that three of the town's neighbourhoods were destroyed by the flooding.Hillsides and riverbanks in the area, about 60 miles (100 km) north of Rio, collapsed after the equivalent of a month's rain fell in 24 hours from Tuesday night.More heavy rain is forecast, complicating rescue efforts and raising the risk of further mudslides.The homes of rich and poor alike were swept away in and around Teresopolis and other towns, likely causing billions of dollars in damage. But the brunt of the disaster was borne by poorer rural residents in houses built in risky areas without formal planning permission.The floods have not affected Brazil's main export crops -- soy, sugar cane, oranges and coffee -- but could push up local food prices further as the small Serrana region is an important producer of fruit and vegetables for the Rio area.Rio, famed for its beaches and Carnival, will co-host soccer's World Cup in 2014 and host the Olympics in 2016.Rescuers tried to haul residents from raging floodwaters and went through the ruins of homes in search of survivors, often finding only corpses. One success came when a 6-month-old baby was rescued from the rubble of a house, drawing thunderous cheers from residents.
Photo Bruno Domingos
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13 January 2011
BASF acid cargo barge capsizes on Rhine, halts traffic
Bloomberg -
A barge carrying sulfuric acid produced by BASF SE, the world’s biggest chemical company, capsized on the Rhine River in Germany today, leading authorities to halt traffic on Europe’s busiest waterway.
Two of the vessel’s four crew are still missing and local authorities haven’t yet determined whether the 2,400 metric tons of acid on board is leaking, Germany’s Federal Shipping Administration said today in a statement on its website. The river won’t reopen to shipping today, chief inspector at the Wasserschutzpolizei said by phone from Mainz.The cargo was being transported to BASF’s facility in Antwerp, Belgium from its plant in Ludwigshafen, Germany, Ursula von Stetten, a company spokeswoman, said today by phone. BASF doesn’t own the vessel, she said. The shares fell as much as 2.5 percent in Frankfurt."Initially the market priced in some downside for BASF but now that its been confirmed it’s not their ship, valuations have quickly recovered," said Stuart James, a senior credit analyst at Lloyds Bank in London. "If it has leaked there will undoubtedly be clean-up costs for the ship owner to pay."
Photo cdn.wn.com
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Brisbane in shock as fresh rains feared
Ed Davies -
Flood water in Australia's third-biggest city peaked below feared catastrophic levels on Thursday but Brisbane and other devastated regions faced years of rebuilding, while fresh flood threats loom with a cyclone forecast off the coast.
Large parts of the capital of Queensland state resembled a muddy lake, with an entire waterfront cafe among the debris washing down the Brisbane River, a torrent that has flooded 12,000 homes in the city of 2 million and left 118,000 buildings without power.With 35 suburbs flooded, many parts of Brisbane looked more like Venice as residents used boats to move about flooded streets, where traffic signs peeped above the stagnant water.The floodwaters destroyed or damaged many parts of the city's infrastructure. One group of residents was lucky not to disappear into gushing waters when the street they were walking along collapsed."The ground started to move and began to rumble like thunder. We all started to run as fast as we could," said Rebecca Bush. "The next minute we heard this huge cracking noise that sounded like lightning had just struck. We turned around and the pathway was gone. It had completely collapsed."Aerial views of Brisbane showed a sea of brown water with rooftops poking through the surface.
"What I'm seeing looks more like a war zone in some places," Queensland Premier Anna Bligh.
"All I could see was their rooftops ... underneath every single one of those rooftops is a horror story," she told reporters after surveying the disaster from the air."This morning as I look across not only the capital city, but three-quarters of my state, we are facing a reconstruction effort of post-war proportions," Bligh said.
Photos Mick Tsikas
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“Deep” director Yates dies at 81
BerNews -
British director Peter Yates literally submerged himself in his work when he was making the movie blockbuster “The Deep” in Bermuda in the summer of 1976.
The man who described himself as a “barely passable swimmer” before production began on the adaptation of Peter Benchley’s thriller about vacationers who stumble upon two hidden treasures on Bermuda’s reefs — Spanish gold and World War Two-era morphine — ended up diving more than 600 times during the course of the shoot.
Mr. Yates, a four-time Academy Award nominee, died at his home in England on Sunday. He was 81.
He last visited Bermuda to attended a reunion celebration marking the 25th anniversary of “The Deep’s” production at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute along with author Mr. Benchley and the film’s star Jacqueline Bisset.
Released in the summer of 1977 — and the second highest-grossing film of that year after “Star Wars” –”The Deep” was successfully marketed as a follow-up of sorts to Steven Spielberg’s phenomenally successful 1975 adaptation of Mr. Benchley’s “Jaws.”
Novice producer Peter Guber bought the movie rights to “The Deep” in 1976 before the book had even been published.
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Navy coral dredging plan prompts Guam outcry
Audrey McAvoy -
A Navy plan to dredge dozens of acres of coral to make way for a new aircraft carrier berth on Guam is triggering an outcry among locals concerned the move will wipe out important marine life and a valuable part of the island’s livelihood and culture.
The Navy wants the berth because its aircraft carriers are spending more time in the western Pacific as the U.S. provides a deterrent to North Korea and monitors the rapid growth and modernization of China’s military.
Guam’s fishermen are worried the dredging will hurt fish stocks and harm their ability to catch fish to feed their families. Others worry the tourism industry will suffer as the dredging hurts coral visited by scuba divers and submarine tours. Federal agencies have told the Navy they’re concerned about the large scale impact the plan would have.
“They’re saying ‘We’re going to destroy 70 acres of an irreplaceable natural resource of yours,’ ” said Cara Flores-Mays, an active leader of the group We Are Guahan, an organization that is criticizing the coral dredging plan and other aspects of the military’s buildup on Guam. “This is a place that sustains life. It helps us to continue our cultural practices, it enables our economy to flourish.”
The Navy has narrowed down its potential locations for the berth to two spots right next to each other inside Apra Harbor, the 212-square-mile island’s only deep water port. The Navy will also need a basin for the carriers — each over 1,000 feet long — to turn around in, which will require some dredging.
The first location, which the Navy prefers, would require 25 acres of coral to be dredged. Silt generated by the dredging would be expected to float onto and thus possibly smother another 46 acres of coral.
Under the second option, the Navy would dredge 24 acres and indirectly harm over 47 acres. More than 70 acres of coral would be affected under either plan.
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Emerald, sapphire found in fish tank !
Click On Detroit -
Hundreds of thousands of dollars in precious stones may have been found in a fish tank that was being stored in a Detroit auction warehouse.
Gemologist Derek Wilson said Detroit police called him to the warehouse to help identify the stones that were uncovered.
"We started looking through it and it was just full of faceted and unfaceted gems," he said.
Catching Wilson's eye were two emeralds and a sapphire, which he said could be more than 100 years old and worth more than $100,000 collectively.
He said he has no idea why the precious stones would have been in the fish tank.
"We have no idea. We've been trying to figure that out all day," Wilson said. "We don't know if it was somebody trying to hide money, or maybe somebody bought it that way, or maybe somebody had precious stones that they thought they would try to hide somewhere.
"One of the emeralds is 840 karats.
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Brazil refuses entry Of British warship
Brazil has refused to allow Royal Navy ship HMS Clyde dock in Rio de Janeiro, it has emerged. The Foreign Office has confirmed that HMS Clyde was diverted to Chile after being denied diplomatic clearance to dock in Rio.
Commentators suggest that the move is a sign that Brazil’s new president Dilma Rousseff, who came into office on 1 January, is trying to win favour with Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.Argentine newspaper Clarin reported that the Argentine president was ‘satisfied’ with the decision to block HMS Clyde. The decision not to allow HMS Clyde to dock comes despite the fact that in September 2010 Minister for International Security Strategy Gerald Howarth signed a defence cooperation treaty with Brazilian navy chief Admiral Moura Neto.
Howarth described the UK and Brazil as “old and trusted friends” during the signing, and said the treaty would mark a “new dawn” in defence relations between the two countries. A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We can confirm that HMS Clyde had planned to make a routine port stop in Rio de Janeiro in early January.
“Brazil did not grant diplomatic clearance this time. We respect Brazil’s right to make such a decision. We have a close relationship with Brazil. “The UK-Brazil defence cooperation treaty signed last September is a good example of our current strong links.”
In September 2010, Type 42 destroyer HMS Gloucester was refused permission to dock in Uruguay, in an apparent show of solidarity between Uruguay and Argentina over oil drilling in the waters off the Falkland Islands.
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Thursday's Quote !
"Don't marry the person you want to live with, marry the one you cannot live without, but whatever you do, you'll regret it later".
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A big switch-over for our Manx lighthouses
Anna Grau -
Big changes are planned to the way the island’s seven lighthouses are monitored.
It’s a move that will alter the historic link between the Isle of Man and the Northern Lighthouse Board, a link that goes back nearly 200 years.The board is responsible for seven lighthouses in and around the Isle of Man, ranging from Point of Ayre in the north to the treacherous Chicken Rock off the Calf of Man in the south.They are now all fully automated, the last to become so being the Langness light in 1996. The lights are visited every year for store supply deliveries and maintenance by the board’s ship, the NLV Pharos.Last year, the UK Government published the Atkins Review that looked at the provision of marine aids to navigation around the British Isles and Ireland.One of its 52 recommendations concerned the way in which the lighthouses of all three General Lighthouse Authorities (Trinity House, Irish Lights and the Northern Lighthouse Board) are remotely monitored.It concluded that savings could be made by monitoring all the lighthouses from one central monitoring centre.Currently, operations have been monitored by the parent General Lighthouse Authority by 24-hour monitor centres in Harwich in Essex, Dun Laoghaire near Dublin, Republic of Ireland, and Edinburgh, Scotland.
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Shark conservation in the Bahamas with the PEW environment group
The Bahamas weekly -
If you are wondering why so much attention is being directed at shark conservation in recent times Matt Rand, Director of Global Shark Conservation of the PEW Environment Group says it is all becomes of an Asian obsession with shark fin soup.
"Unfortunately, because of their value in a bowl of soup, up to 73 million sharks are killed annually, just so their fins can end up in soup. It is a luxury item, it is not a food item. And what this is causing very rapidly is a global depletion of sharks. Right now 38% of shark species that are in the world's oceans are threatened, or are near threatened with extinction; and those are just the ones that we know. We also know that that statistic is actually short," said Rand.This global decimation of the shark population is now having a negative impact on the ecosystems of many oceans, but Rand says but for a country that has tourism as its number one industry, potentially there can be a more devastating outcome."Here in The Bahamas, shark tourism activity actually brings in $78 million into the economy annually and reef sharks here are actually estimated to be about $250,000 each for shark tourism and shark related activities here in The Bahamas. So it is an important economic driver and it's a sustainable situation.If you leave the sharks in the water, keep them healthy as you currently have them, and keep the ecosystem healthy right now then you will have this resource for future generations to come, so that the kids will actually be able to see a healthy ocean environment as well," continues Rand.
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French port strike closes Le Havre terminals
All dockworkers and a large number of port staff in Le Havre joined a national strike Wednesday shutting down shipping terminals at France's largest container port.
France’s FNPD-CGT union called the strike to press demands for early retirement for those who carry out hard physical work. The union said the current strike would last until at least Sunday.The strike did not affect cross-Channel ferry services or petroleum shipping, according, to a union source quoted by Agence France Presse.National strikes in September and October last year caused major disruption to shipments and oil terminals, particularly in the southern port of Marseille, where the Fos-Lavera oil terminal, the world's third largest, was blocked for more than a month and contributed to a shortage of fuels across France.The sporadic strikes were sparked by the port reform law passed by the government of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, which called for the privatization of marine terminals.
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Last blast for Down lighthouse foghorn
It has been signalling a safe route for mariners off the Co Down coast for over 100 years.
But yesterday the haunting sound of St John’s Point lighthouse foghorn was silenced for ever. Built in 1884, the lighthouse and its fog signal has guided sailors around Dundrum Bay, but a decision by the Commissioners of Irish Lights has brought the era of the distinctive horns to an end. The lighthouse was among the last nine around the island of Ireland to have its foghorn turned off. Captain Harry McClenahan, a marine inspector with the commission, said that although they have been in use for hundreds of years, fog signals are no longer considered reliable or accurate in navigation and they had been gradually shutting them down over the past 20 years. “With a fog signal you cannot tell what direction it’s coming from and you can’t tell how far away it is,” he said. But Mr McClenahan, who has been a seafarer for 35 years, said the sound of the foghorn would be missed by many. The decision to discontinue the signals was announced in September last year as part of a larger review of the system of aids to navigation used in UK and Irish waters.Posted via http://batavia08.posterous.com batavia08's posterous
Australia's Brisbane avoids worst flood fears
Ed Davies -
Flood water in Australia's third-biggest city peaked below feared catastrophic levels on Thursday but Brisbane and other devastated regions faced years of rebuilding and even the threat of fresh floods in the weeks ahead.
The capital of Queensland state resembled a muddy lake, with an entire waterfront cafe among the debris washed down the Brisbane River, a torrent that has flooded 12,000 homes and left more than 100,000 homes and businesses without power."This morning as I look across not only the capital city, but three-quarters of my state, we are facing a reconstruction effort of post-war proportions," Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said from the city of two million people."This is going to be a long recovery," she told a radio station.Insurers face a huge bill, with some economists expecting A$6 billion (£3.8 billion) in damage from the floods that began last month in Queensland, a mining state, crippling the coking coal industry and destroying roads, railways and bridges as they flowed south.The floods have killed at least 17 people and 70 are missing, according to revised figures.But the water peaked at almost a metre below the level of deadly 1974 floods in Brisbane.Despite that, many of the city's factories and homes had only rooflines visible as residents, many evacuated to safety, woke to bright sunshine. Hundreds of onlookers gathered above the river to see the devastation at first light.
The swollen Brisbane River was choked with debris after bursting its banks and engulfing large districts of the city the previous day. Power has been cut to areas in and around the city because of worry the waters could cause electrocutions.Boats and river pontoons torn adrift by the deluge lay piled on river banks as the roiling brown water raced past.
Photo Tim Wimborne
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At least 270 dead in Brazil floods
Pedro Fonseca and Stuart Grudgings -
Floods and landslides devastated several mountain towns near Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday, killing at least 257 people as torrents of water and mud swept through the region, burying many families as they slept.
The heavy rains also killed 13 people in Sao Paulo state on Tuesday, bringing the total death toll in Brazil's south to at least 270.Hillsides and river banks in the picturesque Serrana region north of Rio buckled under the equivalent of a month's rainfall in 24 hours, destroying houses and killing many people early Wednesday, rescue officials said.Television images showed many houses buried in mud as desperate residents and rescue workers searched for survivors."There was no way of telling which house would fall. Rich and poor -- everything was destroyed," domestic worker Fernanda Carvalho was quoted as saying by the Globo network's website.At least 130 people were killed in Teresopolis, about 62 miles (100 km) north of Rio, town officials said. At least 20 people were killed in the city of Petropolis, and 107 in the town of Nova Friburgo, state officials said in an e-mailed statement.The number of victims was expected to rise as rescuers find more bodies and reach more remote areas."I believe the number of dead is much more than was announced so far," Rio state environment secretary Carlos Minc was quoted as saying by Globo television after he flew over the region. "Many people died while they were sleeping."
Photo Bruno Domingos
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Coast Guard releases report on sinking of Alaska Ranger in 2008
US Coast Guards -
This report discusses the March 23, 2008, sinking of the U.S. fish processing vessel Alaska Ranger in the Bering Sea, 120 nautical miles west of Dutch Harbor, Alaska.
The Alaska Ranger had left Dutch Harbor the previous day to fish on Petrel Bank, a fishing ground 500 nautical miles to the west. About 0230 on the morning of March 23, the crew discovered flooding in the vessel’s rudder room, and at 0246, the vessel broadcast a Mayday call.
The U.S. Coast Guard immediately launched search and rescue operations. The crew evacuated the vessel before it sank sometime after 0430. The Coast Guard and the crew of another fishing vessel, the Alaska Warrior, rescued 42 of the 47 persons who had been on the Alaska Ranger. Five crewmembers died in the accident.
The wreckage of the Alaska Ranger lies in 6,000 feet of water at the bottom of the Bering Sea and was not examined. The vessel’s estimated replacement value was $15 million.
The NTSB participated fully in a Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation convened immediately after the sinking. The NTSB’s investigation of the accident identified the following safety issues: the vessel’s movement astern, company operations, postaccident drug and alcohol testing, emergency response, implementation of the Coast Guard’s Alternate Compliance and Safety Agreement, and oversight of U.S. commercial fishing industry vessels.On the basis of its findings, the NTSB made recommendations to the Coast Guard, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, and Fishing Company of Alaska, Inc.
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Ancient mass extinctions hint at possible ocean future
Brandon Keim -
In sediment traces and fossil records from one of Earth’s most tumultuous periods, geologists have found a narrative linking mass extinctions with planetary biological and geological change. After dramatic oceanic extinctions 250 million and 200 million years ago, the global carbon cycle turned chaotic. Earth’s biogeochemistry went boom and bust for millions of years thereafter, as if some regulating mechanism were lost — which is exactly what happened.“People talk about saving biodiversity, and isn’t it good to have a variety of all these creatures. But the reason it matters is because ecosystem function is itself dependent on diversity in the face of normal environmental changes,” said geologist Jessica Whiteside of Brown University. “Lower diversity too much, and the system will lose its resiliency. It will become a slave to otherwise minor environmental changes.”Whiteside specializes in reading the geological record of past extinctions, teasing from rocks and fossils the story of those times in Earth’s history when, for one reason or another, most forms of life ceased to exist.In the new study, published Jan. 5 in Geology, Whiteside and University of Washington biologist Peter Ward focus on two mass extinctions with especially catastrophic marine consequences: the Permian-Triassic extinction event 250 million years ago, when 96 percent of all ocean species went extinct, and the Triassic-Jurassic extinction 200 million years ago, which extinguished 20 percent of all marine families.Scientists say that another mass extinction is now underway, with extinction rates an order of magnitude higher than normal, both on land and at sea. Studies like Whiteside’s suggest what the extinction’s consequences could be — not just for people, on a scale of decades or centuries, but for how the planet will work, millions of years in the future.
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The Titanic Exhibition, 02 Bubble, London
Amazingly, 98 years after the unforgettable sinking of the ‘Unsinkable Ship’ the Titanic has re-emerged at the 02 Bubble.
Visitors quite literally step on board, as they receive a re-created boarding pass the same as the one used by the actual passengers who set off from Southampton in 1912.
They are then lead on a tour through re-constructed rooms, that shows the lives of the extremely wealthy, underprivileged, and the hard-laboured lives of workers in the boiler rooms.Personal belonging piece together the history of passengers, and visitors can watch never seen before footage from the recent voyage, that also uncovered the ship’s porthole, wheel and telegraph, which are all also on display.
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12 January 2011
Icy saga in Sea of Okhotsk nears end
The end is in sight for the final ice-bound ship that has been stuck off Russia's Far East coast. More than 300 crew members have endured a two-week ordeal, but are now being escorted through the frozen seas by two icebreakers.
However, according to the Head of the Federal Fisheries Agency, Andrey Krainy, the convoy only covered 1.5 miles when faced another problem: breaking towing cables.
“At the present time we are working through the towing techniques,” Interfax quoted him as saying.
The “Admiral Makarov” and the “Krasin” had already led a smaller ship, the refrigerator vessel "Bereg Nadezhdy", to safer waters. Now both of them are in the Sea of Okhotsk rescuing a much larger supply vessel – the "Sodruzhestvo".
To fulfill the mission, the two icebreakers need to pick up the supply ship, get back to the refrigerator vessel that had been temporarily left in safer waters and together head for open water.
The major obstacle that had been complicating the rescue of the supply vessel is its size: the ship is much wider than any icebreaker. So the combined effort of the “Krasin” and the “Admiral Makarov” was required.
The total cost of the "Sodruzhestvo" and its cargo load is reported around US$32 million, while the cost of the multi-day rescue operation is estimated at $50,000. The local authorities have picked up the expenses. However, when mission is over, they are likely to demand reimbursement.
The Sea of Okhotsk, just off the far-eastern coast of Russia, is known to be a difficult place for ships to navigate in the winter, but the conditions have been greatly worsened by extreme weather this year. The ice thickness now varies in the area from 0.5 to 2 meters, and the temperature is -27 degrees Celsius, with strong northerly winds. Ferocious gales and very low temperatures have led to the formation of eight-meter-thick ice in some places, leaving the vessels simply unable to move.
Russia’s Transportation Ministry had warned sailors about the weather conditions in the area. However, some vessels still headed in the direction of the icy waters and became stranded.
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Wednesday's Quote !
Marriage is a relationship in which one person is always right and the other is the husband !
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Historic Delaware ship to be featured in National Geographic documentary
Robin Brown -
The Kalmar Nyckel, the ship that brought Delaware its first permanent European settlers in 1638, soon will star in a National Geographic special airing in 124 countries.
And the documentary's acclaimed director-producer, Malcolm Dixelius of Sweden, recently made an appearance in Delaware, sharing behind-the-scenes stories and excerpts of his special set to air in April.
Dixelius, who has been called Sweden's best-known documentary filmmaker, visited the state to be the debut speaker in the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation's 2011 public lecture series.The series, called "SOS: Saving Our Ships -- Ships That Changed the World," also features two other internationally known maritime experts.They are maritime archaeologist Frederick Hocker of Sweden and Matthew Stackpole of Mystic Seaport in Connecticut, the largest and most prestigious U.S. maritime museum.Organizers say they were thrilled to get world-class speakers for the foundation's growing educational outreach.Known for its re-creation of the 1638 settlers' ship, the nonprofit group began public lectures in 2009 under its broader goal of "preserving and promoting the cultural and maritime heritage of Delaware for the education and enrichment of all," said Samuel W. Heed, senior historian and director of education.Posted via http://batavia08.posterous.com batavia08's posterous
Unmissable sail... Nautical memorabilia cruises to a new home at Morphy's
Paul Fraser Collectibles -
A selection of ships' music boxes and a fantastic scale model are going under the hammer.
Collecting nautical memorabilia is a surprisingly popular hobby, and so it is that Morphy's auction house has assembled a substantial selection of items for sale for collectors.
In fact over 1,000 artifacts and pieces of ephemera from vintage ocean liners, historic vessels and newer cruise ships will be going under the hammer in an auction which concludes later this month.
Items include: liferings, china, souvenir spoons, photographs, ship models, postcards, advertising materials, prints and other items too numerous to mention.
One of the highlights is a Rookwood Faience Rondel Ship Scene Tile. Surrounded by contemporary ceramic tiles and housed in a contemporary oak frame.
There is some crazing on the Rookwood tile and minor separation between the contemporary tiles but in general it remains in excellent condition and is expected to sell for £2,000-3,000 ($4,650).
Interestingly, three of the top lots are music boxes. Most of these are metal, including an impressive antique handpainted metal Isola Bella music box made some time around 1860. Marked "Guillot" and number "2504", it still plays well and sold for $2,000-4,000.
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Down the Niger river on a pinasse
Myrtle Ryan -
A word you are going to hear all the time in Mali is cadeau, French for gift. In every village, children run up chanting “cadeau, cadeau”, almost like a mantra. It comes across as a greeting, rather than a real expectation of a present.
All this attention and shrill voices can become a bit wearying, but the overall impression is that visitors need not fear for their safety. Even walking alone in the dark never seemed to pose any kind of threat. My recent two-week trip to Mali was not your average tourist-run-around-a-country. Our group met people who head renovation programmes in the Unesco World Heritage Site of Djenné; local directors of the Mission Culturelle in several towns throughout the country; archaeological specialists; and historians. So what, for me, are the many memorable vignettes that make up the Mali mosaic? As I sit at my computer, back in the normal, dreary routine, here are some that spring to mind: Beneath the full moon bodies sway, drums pound and excited calls ring out. We are attending a Bamana Sogo-bo (the animals come out) puppet-and-mask performance, which originated with the Bozo fishermen who live alongside the mighty Niger River. These puppets represent the artistic expression of a complex animist culture and as such feature many animals or fetish objects. The puppets come in all shapes and sizes. Those manipulating them are hidden beneath fabric. As they can see little, someone dances before them, guiding them. A Sogo-bo is normally only held on special occasions such as feast days and weddings, but one had been pre-arranged for our group. Hundreds of villagers were present. They ignored us. This was their evening. As hot, excited bodies – hyped on the occasion – pressed in on us, the smell stimulated a strange excitement in me as well. “Was this how potential enemies were once lulled into dropping their guard in the moment before the spears were raised to kill them?” I wondered dramatically. Even more exotic are the Dogon masked dancers, but I shall deal with them and Dogon culture in another article.
Photo Myrtle Ryan
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Over 90 missing in Australia as floods inundate Brisbane
Ed Davies -
Thousands of residents of Australia's third-largest city evacuated homes on Wednesday as massive floods threatened to inundate the financial district, sparked panic buying of food and left authorities despairing for more than 90 people missing.
The biggest floods in decades have so far killed 14 people since starting their devastating march across the northern mining state of Queensland last month, crippling the coking coal industry, destroying infrastructure, putting a brake on the economy and sending the local currency to four-week lows.
With a flood surge expected to peak in the Queensland capital of Brisbane, a city of two million, on Thursday, search and rescue crews took advantage of rare sunshine on Wednesday to look for those still missing from tsunami-like flash floods that tore through townships west of the city this week.
"I think we're all going to be shocked by what they find in these towns that were hit by that tsunami yesterday," Queensland state Premier Anna Bligh told local television on Wednesday.The worsening floods are forcing economists to raise estimates of the economic impact, with one central bank board member quoted on Wednesday as saying the disaster could cost as much as 1 percent of economic growth -- equal to almost $13 billion (£8.3 billion), double the previous highest estimate.The Australian dollar sank to a fresh four-week low of $0.9803 on the comments from Warwick McKibbin, an academic and a member of the central bank's policy making board.In Brisbane, thousands of homes and businesses were inundated as swirling flood waters rose in and around the riverside city, triggering residents to flee with few possessions to higher ground and evacuation centres.
Photo Giulio Saggin
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Why the world's largest California Gold Rush Nugget could bring $400,000
Paul Fraser Collectibles -
The 'Washington Nugget' is worth more than its weight in gold, and is a valuable piece of US history.
The largest California Gold Rush Nugget left in existence, the 100 troy ounce gold nugget discovered last year in Nevada County, California, will be sold at public auction by Holabird-Kagin Americana this March in Sacramento.
Named the "Washington Nugget" because the nugget was discovered near the famous northern Mother lode Gold Rush mining camp of Washington, California, this nearly 100 ounce monster gold nugget (and several others) were found in an unmined section of the Omega-Malakoff Tertiary Channel in February 2010, by a lucky area land-owner.
Authenticated by geologist Fred Holabird and valued at $250,000-$400,000, the nugget is the largest, original California Gold Rush region natural nugget still in existence. This nugget will sell to the highest bidder on March 15th in Sacramento, California in Session C of the Golden West Auction. A special sneak preview of the nugget is available at this week's FUN show in Tampa, Florida.
Gold is selling for very high prices at this time, of course, but the nugget's value is increased far beyond the price of gold by weight alone but because of its history.
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11 January 2011
Two alleged poachers found dead in Far East
A dead body on an inflatable lifeboat was found on Monday off the coast of Sakhalin Island in Russia’s Far East. Another dead man dressed in a diving suit was discovered shortly afterwards.
The body found on Monday has not been identified yet due to the heavy ice covering it, reports Interfax news agency. It is believed to be that of a male crew member of the fishing vessel “Partner”, which went missing last Friday. The ship sent a distress call, but a rescue party failed to find it or any signs of wreckage.
Another person discovered may have been on the unfortunate ship too, although rescuers found no evidence of this on the body.According to Russian fishery regulator, the schooner “Partner” was most likely a poaching ship. Owners of such vessels typically neglect safety regulations and do not spent much money on rescue equipment, which explains high likelihood of fatal incidents for the crew, said the regulator’s head Andrey Krainiy on Sunday.Maritime authorities on Sakhalin Island said the ship had 11 crew members.
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Tuesday's Quote !
“Between the great things we cannot do and the small things we will not do, the danger is that we shall do nothing.”
Adolph Monod (Reformed pastor and theologian,1802-1856)
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Videographer's condition remains critical after scuba tank blast
James Halpin -
Cindy Burnham was in her pajamas Monday night, leaning over the sink to brush her teeth, when she heard the garage door starting to raise up - her husband was home from a Carolina Hurricanes game.
The next thing she knew she had been thrown to the floor several feet back, with shards of glass from the shattered mirror in her face. Burnham, a photographer at The Fayetteville Observer, grabbed her dog and ran to the door to the garage, trying to find her husband, Rick Allen.
"The door was blown out," Burnham said. "I could see my husband on fire inside the garage."
Allen called for her to call 911 and get a fire extinguisher. She grabbed one a few feet away, then struggled to get the pin out and extinguish the flames burning on Allen's back.
"There was blood coming out of my face, and one eye I couldn't see out of because of all of the blood on my face," Burnham said.
She then called medics on a cell phone, gave them the address and helped guide them to the home on Partridge Court, she said.
Burnham was discharged from Cape Fear Valley Medical Center after receiving between 10 to 12 stitches to her face for her injuries. But Allen, who is also a photojournalist, remained in critical condition on Wednesday at UNC Hospitals' Jaycee Burn Center.
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Diver attempts second world record in Malta
Fiona Galea Debono -
In 2009, Sean McGahern broke the world record for the longest dive in open waters when he spent well over a day under the sea off St Julians – but it simply was not enough.
He will be back next month to attempt the Guinness World Record cold water open sea dive, which stands at 12 hours in 15°C waters, at Starfish Diving School in St George’s Bay. And the training has begun.But Mr McGahern’s initiative is not just a physical challenge, it also has an emotional and charitable goal, aiming to raise funds to improve research and treatment of cancer by breaking a record “in memory of our lost ones”.“Twelve years ago, my mother lost her battle against brain cancer, leaving behind my father, myself and my three brothers. My 38-year-old aunt is now suffering from breast cancer, with three children to care for. I also recently lost my foster sister, Michelle Rowley, at 35. She too left behind two children.“Cancer does not care who you are and what you do in life. It affects us all,” Mr McGahern said.He plans to stay in water colder than 15°C for at least 15 hours at a depth of 12 metres in memory of those he lost and is urging others to support him by digging deep in their pocket and donating.
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Untitled
Robert Lee Hotz -
Bacteria made quick work of the tons of methane that billowed into the Gulf of Mexico along with oil from the Deepwater Horizon blowout, clearing the natural gas from the waterway within months of its release, researchers reported Friday.
The federally funded field study, published online in the journal Science, offers peer-reviewed evidence that naturally occurring microbes in the Gulf devoured significant amounts of toxic chemicals in natural gas and oil spewing from the seafloor, which researchers had thought would persist in the region's water chemistry for years.
"Within a matter of months, the bacteria completely removed that methane,"said microbiologist David Valentine at the University of California at Santa Barbara. "The bacteria kicked on more effectively than we expected," he said.
Dr. Valentine was part of a research team that tested samples from more than 200 locations across 38,000 square miles of the Gulf during three research cruises between August and October, after the well was shut down last year.
The fate of the methane is only one aspect of the environmental impact on the Gulf of the massive spill. All told, scientists estimate that 200,000 tons or more of methane bubbled from the damaged BP PLC well—about 20% of the hydrocarbons released during the spill—along with about 4.4 million barrels of petroleum.
The crude oil settled on the seafloor as sludge within a mile or so of the damaged drill head, floated to the surface, washed ashore or was diluted by chemical dispersants dissolved into the seawater.
John D. Kessler/TAMU
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BAE Systems develops non-lethal laser to defend against pirate attacks on commercial ships
gCaptain -
BAE Systems has successfully demonstrated a prototype device that will serve as an effective non-lethal deterrent against pirate attacks on commercial vessels such as oil tankers and container ships.
Piracy worldwide is on the rise according to reports from the ICC’s International Maritime Bureau (IMB), with 430 attacks worldwide reported last year, up from 406 in 2009. As pirates increase their range of operations and their capabilities, commercial shipping agents are increasingly looking for ways of preventing attacks whilst avoiding armed guards on their ships.
In order to help combat the growing piracy threat BAE Systems conducted a study of pirate’s behaviour and a company-wide capability survey. This led to the development of the concept of using a non-lethal laser, which would leave only temporary effects, to distract and deter potential attackers from a distance.
Leveraging the capability of its Optics and Laser Technology Department within its Advanced Technology Centre, BAE System’s researchers conducted a number of experiments to assess the feasibility of laser distraction as a non-lethal weapon. The research team has now successfully demonstrated a suitable laser at the Pershore Trials Range in Worcester over a variety of distances in a variety of conditions.
The laser beam is capable of providing a visual warning to pirates at distances greater than 2km, and of disorientating attackers sufficiently at lesser distances so that weapons cannot be targeted effectively. At all times the power levels of the laser remain eye safe.
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Deadly Australian floods spark evacuations in Brisbane
Ed Davies -
Tsunami-like flash floods raced towards Australia's third-largest city of Brisbane on Tuesday, prompting evacuations of its outskirts, flood warnings for the financial district and predictions that the death toll is likely to climb.
The worst flooding in the coal-exporting state of Queensland in half a century has killed 12, but that number is expected to rise, state premier Anna Bligh said in Brisbane, a city of two million people near the mouth of a large river."We have a grim and desperate situation," Bligh told a news conference, adding that the flood threat to state capital Brisbane would peak on Wednesday or Thursday.In Toowoomba, a town west of Brisbane, eight people were killed on Monday night when a "super rainstorm" sent a 2-metre wall of water through streets on Monday, sweeping away cars and pedestrians."Early reports would indicate that what hit Toowoomba could best be described as an inland, instant tsunami, with a massive wall of water that's gone down through the Lockyer Valley," Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson said.TV footage showed brown floodwater gushing through the centre of Toowoomba laden with debris, as people clung to telephone poles and rooftops to survive.Panicked motorists climbed onto cars to escape the deluge, which destroyed homes and bridges, and hurled cars into trees and buildings like corks.Police warned people living in up to 32 low-lying Brisbane River suburbs and further west to head to high ground as a second day of torrential rain was expected to see rivers swell by up to 16 metres in height.Sky TV reported people were evacuating from some parts of downtown Brisbane on Tuesday, but police told Reuters only some city outskirts were being evacuated."It's like an atomic bomb hit this place," Steve Jones, mayor of Lockyer, another town affected by the downpour, told the Courier Mail paper. "The intensity was impossible to explain."
Photo Tomas Guerin
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EU set to bar Icelandic boats in "mackerel war"
Juliane von Reppert-Bismarck -
The European Union is to tell Iceland this week that it will impose sanctions on Icelandic fishing vessels in the "mackerel war" that has threatened Iceland's bid to join the bloc, an EU source said on Monday.
At a meeting on Thursday of the European Economic Area -- the EU, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein -- EU officials will reveal plans to refuse landings of mackerel from Icelandic boats at EU ports unless Iceland reduces its catch of the fish.The EU source said Iceland seemed unlikely to comply.Home to just 320,000 people but a major power in the Atlantic fisheries, Iceland began talks last year on joining the 27-nation EU in the hope of greater stability and financial security after the collapse of its banking system in 2008.But the island has also sought to benefit from a surge in mackerel stocks in its waters, an apparent consequence of warmer sea temperatures. This has brought it into a conflict over catch quotas with Britain, Ireland and Norway, whose governments have traditionally managed mackerel quotas among themselves."The case will be presented at a special meeting with Iceland this week," the EU source said. However, no date for starting refusing Icelandic mackerel landings has been set.Posted via http://batavia08.posterous.com batavia08's posterous
10 January 2011
Hunting shipwrecks workshop
Hydro International -
The Black Laser Learning's Hunting Shipwrecks seminar on 5th March in Boston, USA, gives participants an opportunity to find out how to find shipwrecks. Sport divers and amateur underwater archaeologists alike will get an in-depth overview on how to successfully locate shipwrecks using side scan sonar, magnetometers as well as the Hummingbird sonar.
The workshop is part of the annual Boston Sea Rovers, taking place from 4th to 6th March 2011, the longest-running dive show in the US. This is Black Laser Learning's 2nd year giving this presentation. The workshop will start with sonar/magnetometer basics, then move through professional techniques.
Topics covered will include search planning, search patterns, echo sounders, sonar, magnetometers, metal detectors, and underwater tracking and target identification. Rich, visual imagery will also be part of the format.
In addition to explaining what the various instruments can do, Capone will instruct how best to use them, including towing techniques and positioning as well as how to coordinate with professionals to conduct effective search operations for shipwrecks and sunken aircraft.
Additionally, he will explain how he located the World War II German submarine U-215 for the Sea Hunters on George's Bank. Tips for using the Hummingbird Sonar will also be covered, and the presentation will finish with information on how to return to a target once it has been located.
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Ireland formally funding wave energy technology
Hydro International -
Wave energy developer Carnegie Wave Energy has signed the formal funding agreement with the Irish Government's Sustainable Energy Association (SEAI) for a EUR150,000 project to evaluate potential CETO wave sites in Ireland and develop a site specific conceptual design.
The project is 50% funded by the SEAI and 50% by Carnegie and forms the first phase of detailed design for a potential 5MW commercial demonstration project in Irish waters.
The project will be managed through Carnegie's Irish subsidiary, CETO Wave Energy Ireland Limited (). The project has now commenced with the appointment of Ireland-based engineering specialists RPS Consulting Engineers to undertake the study.
RPS Consulting Engineers has a proven track record in engineering and environmental services in marine construction and the renewable sector, including a number of wave and tidal development projects in Europe and North America.
Carnegie's Dublin-based executive director of European Business Development, Kieran O'Brien said that this formal agreement with SEAI for project funding allows the company to begin detailed site assessment and develop the conceptual design of a 5MW commercial demonstration project in Ireland.
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