USCG icebreakers aid great lakes shipping
The U.S. Coast Guard Great Lakes is reporting a series of callouts in the past days as an Arctic Front crossed the Midwestern region of the United States and interrupted shipping. Some of the shipping is providing critical winter supplies of coal and fuel, while others were attempting to reach port to begin their winter lay up as the shipping season on the Lakes has come to an end.
The local TV news station in Toledo, Ohio, WTOL News 11, reports ice coverage developed quickly on the Lakes and is now above average for this time in the season. It cites NOAA data reporting that Lake Erie quickly went to nearly 80 percent ice coverage as of January 20.
The Coast Guard reports it dispatched two icebreakers in recent days to aid shipping. On Lake Erie, the American Spirit, a 1,004-foot freighter operating on the Lakes since 1978, requested assistance on Wednesday, January 21.
Tanker crew rescues solo rower
The crew of the Liberian-flagged tanker Horten, working with U.S. Coast Guard watchstanders in San Juan, rescued a Belgian ocean rower late Wednesday after his vessel capsized in heavy seas more than 1,100 nautical miles east of Puerto Rico.
Benoit Bourguet, 47, was competing in the World’s Toughest Row, a 3,000-mile solo race from the Canary Islands to Antigua, when two rogue waves struck his single-man rowing boat, City of Liverpool, in 13- to 15-foot seas. The impact capsized the vessel, forcing Bourguet to abandon ship and deploy his life raft.
New trade map takes shape in Davos
President Donald Trump’s use of tariffs as a foreign policy tool added fresh impetus in Davos this week to efforts to boost global trade beyond the U.S., with frustration palpable among many of Washington’s top trading partners.
Tariffs roared back into focus when Trump last weekend threatened new tariffs on European allies opposing his designs on Greenland, before stepping back from them on Wednesday after announcing a deal framework with NATO over the Arctic island.
U.S. coast guard seizes $7m in cocaine
A Coast Guard Station San Juan boat crew, working with Homeland Security Task Force – San Juan Region partner agencies, interdicted a drug-smuggling vessel in the Atlantic Ocean north of Puerto Rico on January 14, seizing 16 bales of cocaine valued at more than $7 million and arresting three suspects.
The operation began when a Coast Guard Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft detected a suspicious 25-foot panga-style go-fast boat in international waters north of Vega Baja. Sector San Juan watchstanders vectored the cutter Joseph Tezanos and a 45-foot Response Boat–Medium crew to intercept, while a Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine aircraft maintained continuous aerial surveillance.
NOAA launches deep-sea mapping project off American Samoa
The United States is ramping up efforts to secure domestic sources of critical minerals with a major new seabed mapping initiative in the Pacific, part of a broader push to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers and counter China’s growing influence over strategic resources.
NOAA’s National Ocean Service announced presently a new hydrographic survey project to map and characterize more than 30,000 square nautical miles of federal waters off American Samoa. The project, part of the Department of Commerce’s implementation of the U.S. Offshore Critical Minerals Mapping Plan, will utilize approximately $20 million in fiscal year 2025 funding.
Energy transition policies: advancing emerging battery technologies
Advancing battery technologies stand out as next-generation solutions to help reduce carbon emissions for marine and offshore applications. Yet, rapid expansion and implementation require technical oversight and validation through an objective classification process that reinforces safety above all.
The ABS 2025 study, Emerging Battery Technologies in the Maritime Industry, Vol. 2, examines advancements in lithium-ion (Li-ion) and six of the latest battery technologies to map the safety implications for the marine and offshore industries. Key technical insights from the evaluation address their chemistries and energy density, while also indicating that the industry needs effective strategies to support safe operations.
In Mediterranean France seizes sanctioned shadow tanker
The French Navy on Thursday, January 22, intercepted a sanctioned shadow tanker while it was sailing in the Mediterranean. The operation was carried out, French officials said, under United Nations regulations, and the vessel has been diverted to France for further inspection.
The Navy released pictures of two helicopters swooping in on the tanker named Grinch (115,635 dwt) and boarding the ship for an inspection of its documentation. The statement said the ship was on “the high seas” in the Alboran Sea, placing it east of Gibraltar and between Spain and Morocco.
In China first cargo of iron ore from giant simandou mine arrives
Importers in China have taken delivery of the first cargoes of iron ore from Guinea’s Simandou mine, one of the largest new projects of its kind to come online in years. Simandou is changing the geography of the iron ore trade, creating new long-haul demand from West Africa to China, home of most of the world’s steelmaking capacity.
An initial cargo arrived at the Majishan ore transfer terminal in Zhoushan earlier this week, according to steel mill giant China Baowu Steel. A separate Rio Tinto/Chinalco-produced cargo arrived in Rizhao, Shandong on Wednesday, per Chinese state media. These initial cargoes are just the tip of the iceberg: Simandou is on track to produce 120 million tonnes per year of high-grade ore, equal to the best Brazilian and Australian grades.