National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration News

Three years after bulk carrier MV Wakashio ran aground on a coral reef off Mauritius, spilling 1000 tons of a new type of marine fuel oil, Curtin University-led research has confirmed the oil is still present in an environmentally sensitive mangrove forest close to Ramsar conservation sites.Lead researcher Dr. Alan Scarlett, from Curtin’s WA Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Center in the School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, said the chemical ‘fingerprint’ of the oil found in…

In the first study conducted into agitation dredging noise in harbors, Haven Dredging’s Tiamat Hydrodynamic dredger has been confirmed to be below the safe levels for marine mammals and fish.Tiamat, launched last year, is a hydrodynamic dredging solution that the study by environmental hydraulics consultancy, HR Wallingford, was found to be significantly quieter than a small trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD).When being pulled by a small workboat, the noise level of Tiamat was around 170 decibels (dB)…

Coach Solutions, a leading SaaS provider in the shipping industry, has upgraded its Valid Voyage optimization solution to include live weather conditions and forecasts.The Weather Viewer functionality is available to both crew onboard ship and shoreside managers simultaneously. Data is included in a live map view and can also be accessed as a PDF if the ship is operating in a low bandwidth environment.“We are able to predict the majority of vessel performance parameters with increasing accuracy…

The Biden administration on Friday announced the creation of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary along California's central coast, a victory for the Chumash tribe that pursued the designation for a decade.The newly formed sanctuary is part of U.S. President Joe Biden's goal to protect 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030.The sanctuary excludes areas where transmission cables and other infrastructure to support planned offshore wind facilities could be installed, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said in a statement.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has revealed the names of two new charting and mapping vessels it ordered from Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors in 2023.The names Surveyor and Navigator were chosen from a list of suggestions by NOAA staff, adhering to the agency’s naming policy that emphasizes vessels named for their missions.The name Surveyor holds significant historical weight. It not only pays homage to NOAA's mission but also honors two previous vessels that bore the same name.

U.S. coastal waters are a public good increasingly at risk of privatization, threatening local economies that have depended on the sea for generations, fishermen and environmental advocates warned.Critics point to efforts to open up waters to industrial-scale fish farms, a federal permit system they say is stacked against small or new operators, and even coastal real estate development squeezing out independent businesses."There is another real estate grab, but it's in the ocean…

Low water conditions have led to several barges running aground along a key stretch of the lower Mississippi River, the U.S. Coast Guard told Reuters on Wednesday, just as the busiest U.S. grain export season gets underway.Low water levels are slowing export-bound barge shipments of grain and oilseeds from the Midwest farm belt for a third straight year, making U.S. exports less competitive in a world market awash in supplies - just as farmers are set to harvest a record soy and large corn crop and as prices hover near four-year lows.The U.S.

Salvors are sending a crane barge to lift a yacht that ran aground on a coral reef just off Puerto Rico's Flamenco Beach.The 72-foot sailing catamaran Obsession was reportedly traveling with four people on board from Puerto Rico to the British Virgin Islands when it struck a reef during a stop in Culebra on July 21. No injuries were reported.To remove the vessel, salvage and marine services contractor Resolve Marine has deployed its 400-ton shear-leg barge. The 164-foot-long, 54-foot-wide barge is being towed by tugboat from Baltimore and is expected to arrive to Culebra…

U.S. activists opposed to offshore wind development are forming a national coalition aimed at fighting projects from California to New England, according to the effort's founder and two other organizations.The National Offshore-wind Opposition Alliance, or NOOA, aims to bring a national profile to what is currently a fractured movement of dozens of local groups, according to its president, Mandy Davis.Offshore wind is a nascent industry in the United States and a key pillar of U.S. President Joe Biden's plan to combat climate change.

The U.S. Coast Guard is heading up efforts to raise a 1940s era wooden fishing vessel that sank during a winter storm in the New Meadows River in Harpswell, Maine, on January 10, 2024. Officials said the 83-foot vessel Jacob Pike is deemed a pollution threat and noted its owner and responsible party (RP) have not taken appropriate action to mitigate the significant threat of pollution.Coast Guard Sector Northern New England (SNNE) collaborated with Maine DEP, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S.

Salvors have lightered bulk diesel fuel from a luxury yacht that grounded on a reef just off Flamenco Beach in Culebra, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Coast Guard said.The 72-foot sailing catamaran Obsession was reportedly traveling with four people on board from Puerto Rico to the British Virgin Islands when it struck a reef during a stop in Culebra on July 21. No injuries were reported.The fuel removal was conducted by Resolve Marine and Clean Harbors, LLC crews and consisted of the estimated 800 to 1…

The Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced the availability of up to $54 million across two funding opportunities to address marine debris throughout the coastal and Great Lakes states, territories and Freely Associated States.The opportunities are a part of NOAA’s Climate-Ready Coasts Initiative under the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.The two funding opportunities include:• Marine Debris Removal…

An articulated tug and barge (ATB) hit a known underwater rock near Kodiak, Alaska, last year, leading to a grounding that caused $1.4 million in damages, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday.The Brice Marine-owned and -operated tugboat Cingluku and barge Jungjuk were transiting into Shakmanof Cove from Marmot Bay on May 25, 2023, with six crewmembers onboard. The Cingluku and Jungjuk operated together as an ATB, and were primarily used to transport containerized cargo and vehicles.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) issued on Thursday its final environmental analysis that found "no significant impacts" from leasing Central Atlantic coastal areas for potential offshore wind development off the Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia coasts.“BOEM is proud to continue to support the clean energy transition in a responsible manner in the Central Atlantic region,” said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein.“We will continue to work closely with Tribes, our other government partners…

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will continue repairing its Duluth southern Vessel Yard Pier with Phase 2 beginning in July.Repairs this year are estimated to end around November and resume Spring 2025 with completion in the Spring of 2026.Michels Construction Inc. of Brownsville, Wisconsin was awarded the contract for encasing the existing south pier and slip headwall structures with steel sheeting and piling, site lighting, storm drainage, shore power improvements, replacement of bollards with helical pile foundations and concrete paving.

A shortage of U.S. mariners presents a major threat to the United States’ national and economic security, and the problem is growing day by day.According to a 2017 study prepared by the Maritime Workforce Working Group and released by the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD), the estimated pool of U.S. mariners actively sailing with unlimited tonnage credentials was comprised of 11,768 mariners. Assuming that all these mariners would be both willing and available to sail as needed…

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has released two new studies on offshore wind energy in the Gulf of Mexico.The first study, “Gulf of Mexico Offshore Wind Energy Hurricane Risk Assessment” analyzed hurricane risk to wind turbines operating in the Gulf of Mexico. This study concluded that as a minimum, an IEC ”Typhoon Class” wind turbine would be needed for the design of offshore wind turbines in more hurricane prone areas, such as in the Gulf of Mexico.The second study, “Assessment of Offshore Wind Energy Opportunities and Challenges in the U.S.

Marine conservationists and government scientists are seeking clues to the mystery of how a 44-foot whale carcass ended up on the bow of a cruise liner, where it was discovered as the ship approached New York City's Port of Brooklyn over the weekend.A necropsy, the animal equivalent of an autopsy, identified the deceased marine mammal as a mature female sei whale, an endangered species typically found in deep waters far from land, the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society said on Wednesday.One key question is whether the whale's death came before or after its contact with the vessel…

The El Nino climate phenomenon, not climate change, drove lower rainfall last year that reduced the Panama Canal's water levels and contributed to shipping restrictions that disrupted global trade, a study released on Wednesday found.Prioritizing water for human consumption rather than for the canal also played a role in shipping restrictions, according to the study by research consortium World Weather Attribution.Panama experienced its third-driest year on record in 2023, leading…

Approximately one month has passed since the Singaporean-flagged container vessel M/V Dali allided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26. The bridge, which connects Hawkins Point and Dundalk, Maryland, collapsed into the lower Patapsco River, bringing all maritime traffic in and out of the Port of Baltimore to a standstill.The Unified Command offers its reflection on the response efforts underway:During the incident involving the Dali, eight road crew workers, who were on break from repairing potholes, were present on the bridge when it collapsed.

For 15 years the Maritime Risk Symposium (MRS), an annual three-day event, has brought together government and maritime industry leaders, port representatives, international and domestic researchers and solution providers to examine current and emerging threats to maritime security. World events highlight that maritime security is increasingly at risk during the current period of great-power competition and ongoing conflicts. The active competition between nations who are not…

When the Rubymar sank in the Red Sea after a Houthi attack, the ship went down carrying 21,000-tonnes of fertiliser which could trigger massive algal blooms that could create "dead zones" for marine life and starve coral reefs of light.Alongside a slick of leaking fuel, the ammonium phosphate sulphate fertilisers could deliver an extreme pulse of nutrients into waters harbouring rare corals, marine mammals and reef fish, creating a spread of foamy scum on the water.According to a maritime warning circulated to ships in the area…

In this inaugural episode of View from the Helm, Rear Admiral (ret) Tim Gallaudet is interviewed by his daughter Laurel Gallaudet, currently a Masters student and an aspiring ocean communicator, as well as a contributing writer to Marine Technology Reporter. RAdm Gallaudet has a long and distinguished career, including 32 years in the Navy, serving of the Oceanographer of the Navy, and a stint as Acting and Deputy Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.