Category Archives: International
Miraculous Survival: Lost Fisherman Rescued After 2 Days Adrift, Saved by Floating Debris
In a remarkable story of survival, a fisherman who fell overboard was rescued after floating adrift at sea for two days and one night, relying on floating debris to stay alive. The incident, which took place off the coast of Satun province, has been hailed as nothing short of a miracle. On the morning of September 3, Sunthorn Khaosom, 56, a crew member aboard the fishing vessel ‘R. Chai Navi’, accidentally fell into the sea about 10 nautical miles off the coast of Satun. Despite immediate efforts by the vessel’s captain to notify authorities and begin a search, Sunthorn could not be found. It wasn’t until the evening of September 5 that the Third Naval Area Command was alerted by staff at the Koh Bulon Mai Phai National Park in Satun, who reported finding the missing fisherman on the island. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:17
Mass. and Rhode Island pick 3 new wind projects, with less power than originally sought
Massachusetts and Rhode Island announced the winners of their joint offshore wind auction on Friday. While this total is less than half of what the states originally sought to procure, it helps bring them closer to their legally binding offshore wind targets. Friday’s news comes after nearly two years of economic tumult in the industry, when developers up and down 
the East Coast canceled contracts for wind projects, saying they could not make them financially viable because of inflation, higher interest rates and supply chain problems. Still, not everyone is celebrating the news. Jerry Leeman, CEO of the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association, said he was “shocked” that the New England states are awarding more contracts less than two months after a blade broke off a Vineyard Wind Project turbine. In mid-July, the blade sent tons of fiberglass and foam debris into the ocean. Much of it washed up on the south side of Nantucket, and several beaches had to close while the material was cleaned up. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:20
Our ocean, communities not for sale – Fishers
Our ocean, communities and our sociocultural wellbeing are not for sale. This statement formed part of the declarations made by FishNet Alliance, a network of fishers across the coast of Africa, at the close of its General Assembly and Conference held on Thursday, August 22, 2024, in Durban, South Africa. Themed: “Ocean, Extractivism and Renewable Energy”, the gathering was attended by members of the Alliance from South Africa, Senegal, Togo, Nigeria, Mozambique, including new members from Uganda, South Sudan and Cameroon as well as Oilwatch Africa and Oilwatch International members and allies from 20 countries. “We denounce and reject any form of grabbing of our waters for the production of so-called green hydrogen,” submitted the fishers, adding that all deltas and protected areas in Africa must be declared no-mining and no-exploitation zones. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:54
States to announce Friday if New England is ready for more offshore wind farm
The Captain Les Eldridge used to chase bass and tuna out of New Bedford. Now, the vessel has a new role in the nation’s emerging offshore wind industry. Anthes-Washburn said Coast Line Transfers lost a similar contract with another offshore wind farm last summer, during an industry wide contraction in the U.S. that saw planned wind farms scrapped up and down the East Coast. On Friday, Anthes-Washburn will find out if southern New England is ready to rebuild that pipeline of canceled offshore wind projects. Officials in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut are expected to announce whether they are ready to move forward with a series of proposed offshore wind farms that developers submitted through a tri-state solicitation process in March. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:52
Biden – Harris Administration Approves Nation’s Tenth Offshore Wind Project
The Biden-Harris administration has approved the Maryland Offshore Wind Project, the nation’s tenth commercial-scale offshore wind energy project to receive federal approval. The Maryland Offshore Wind Project, developed by US Wind, could generate over 2 gigawatts of clean, renewable energy, potentially powering over 718,000 homes on the Delmarva Peninsula. The project is expected to create nearly 2,680 jobs annually over seven years during its development and construction phases. “BOEM’s Record of Decision brings us another step closer to securing final approvals later this year and getting steel in the water,” said US Wind CEO Jeff Grybowski. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:19
FFAW Rotted with NL Liberal MPs’ Support for Return of Draggers
The FFAW says documents filed by Ottawa to defend reopening of a commercial cod fishery show all Liberal MPs supported the feds’ decision. The reopening once again gives local processors and NAFO countries access to the resource with offshore draggers, while the stock remains in the cautious zone. Pretty notes there was a promise for the first 115,000 metric tonnes of the 2J3KL northern cod quota to be allocated to inshore harvesters and Indigenous groups. He calls the actions of the six Liberal MPs — Gudie Hutchings, Seamus O’Regan, Joanne Thompson, Churence Rogers, Yvonne Jones, and Ken McDonald — “a total betrayal.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:01
Icelandic fishing company Thorbjörn, based in the volcano-stricken port of Grindavík, to split up
The company operates two factory trawlers and one fresher trawler, as well as having a new vessel under construction at a Spanish shipyard. Thorbjörn’s shore-based processing was halted this summer to the situation on Grindavík, with intermittent volcanic activity taking place sometimes within metres of the town’s outskirts. Grindavík was evacuated earlier this year, and residents have moved to other communities in Iceland, although some commercial activity remains in the town and around the harbour areas, subject to restrictions. According to the company, the aim of this restructuring is to put the focus on vessel operations, and to make more effective use of operational finance and fishing opportunities. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:21
Turbine blade fails on Dogger Bank installation
Reports of the failure of a 107m long wind turbine blade during commissioning of the Dogger Bank wind farm – the world’s largest – have been confirmed by the operators. They remain tight- lipped, however, about any detail of the incident. The blade was built by GE Vernova, and is of the same design as the one that failed spectacularly in the Vineyard Wind development off the east coast of the USA in July, where thousands of sharp fragments of the blade washed up on nearby tourist beaches, leading to them being closed for several days during an emergency clean-up. Last week’s incident on the Dogger Bank was the third for this particular type of blade in three months. An earlier failure at the same site in May was, said GE Vernova at the time, ‘the result of an installation failure’. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:44
Safety Warning Issued After Fatal Incident onboard F/V Kingfisher
A safety warning has been issued to fishing vessel owners and crew following a tragic incident aboard the potting vessel Kingfisher (DH110), resulting in the loss of one life. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has released a bulletin urging those involved in the fishing industry to reassess deck risk assessments, particularly focusing on the hazards associated with shooting or recovering creels. On 12 July 2024, the crew of Kingfisher were engaged in manually shooting a string of creels when a deckhand became entangled in a creel’s leg rope. On 12 July 2024, the crew of Kingfisher were engaged in manually shooting a string of creels when a deckhand became entangled in a creel’s leg rope. The entanglement caused the deckhand to be pulled overboard. Upon entering the water, his personal flotation device (PFD) inflated as designed. The crew swiftly used the vessel’s hauling winch to recover the submerged deckhand within seven minutes.more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:07
Offshore wind energy development: A David vs Goliath story
As the aggressive pursuit to privatize and industrialize our oceans with offshore wind turbine factories marches on, the small yet powerful voices of coastal communities around the nation continues to fight to be heard in the process. It is a veritable David versus Goliath story. Closer to home in Oregon, I believe that Goliath may be the elitists who live in urban settings like Portland and Salem who believe that they know best what the coastal residents of Oregon need. Oregon is not unique; however, this story is unfolding around the nation where urbanites believe they know best for rural communities that they do not live or work in. These people tout their desire to uplift marginalized voices while they steamroll rural voices, whether it is Tribes, coastal community members, or commercial fishermen. They attempt to downplay the concerns of coastal residents, claiming “we just don’t understand”. But here’s the thing. We actually do understand. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< By Heather Mann 15:57
Falmouth RNLI to be allocated the RNLI’s newest, state of the art lifeboat
The Shannon is the latest class of all-weather lifeboat to join the RNLI fleet. Designed entirely in house by a team of RNLI engineers and built at the RNLI’s all weather lifeboat centre in Poole, Dorset, the charity harnessed cutting-edge technology to ensure this new lifeboat meets the demands of a 21st century rescue service. Nick Lewis, RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager at Falmouth said: ‘This is really exciting news for the station and the crew are looking forward to welcoming the new Shannon class lifeboat into Falmouth, where we will have a period of training and familiarization before the lifeboat goes officially on service in 2025.’ more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:30
Threat of mobile gear ban in 30% of Scottish waters
The Scottish government has launched a far-reaching consultation – set to run for just eight weeks – that could see fishing banned from 20 MPAs that cover a third of Scottish waters. As a minimum, it seems set to see five MPAs closed entirely to fishing, with 15 others seeing no-fish zones designated within them. The consultation gives only the option of partial or total fishing bans within the MPAs – it does not allow for a ‘neither option’ response. The government says that a second consultation relating to management and restriction of fishing inside 12nm will follow shortly. For each of the 20 MPAs, a review of fisheries management options, many drafted over a decade ago during the original designation process, is available. These range from the relatively uncontroversial closure of areas such as some deepwater sea mounts that have rarely, if ever, been fished, to much more controversial areas, such as the Central Fladen MPA. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:11
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Agency Approves First Generation IV Nuclear Reactor
The last time we checked on the nation’s energy industry, the Biden-Harris administration banned drilling for gas and oil on 28 million acres of Alaska (rescinding the order signed by President Donald Trump). However, there is better news on the nuclear energy front. This is good news given that nuclear energy is the only rival to fossil fuels in efficiency and cost-effectiveness and is worthy of supplying power on a civilization-level. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved construction of the first fourth-generation nuclear reactor in the country. According to Interesting Engineering, the new Hermes reactor will be the first one built in the United States in 50 years that won’t be cooled by light water. Instead, it will use a system of molten fluoride salt, and a TRISO (tri-structural isotropic particle) fuel pebble bed design will power the generator. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:37
How a Newport advisory commission ended up a part of the anti-offshore wind controversy
One of the city’s volunteer advisory commissions was accused of censorship after denying an offer to put opponents of current offshore wind farm projects as experts on a series of educational panels on climate change and offshore wind. While offshore wind opponents, including Councilor David Carlin, argued that the educational panel’s lack of offshore wind opponents made the series unbalanced and unfair, Carlin’s resolution to sponsor a panel of anti-offshore wind speakers was shot down by the rest of City Council for being outside the council’s jurisdiction. In a statement regarding the response from the community and Carlin’s resolution, the commission said the events were designed to be “educational and informational” engagements with experts from their field, not a debate or public hearing. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:04
‘More fat, more flavour’: Why PEI tuna is selling at its highest price in decades
“We’re seeing prices range from $10 or $11 on the low side to $40, $50, $60 a pound on the high side. So these are higher prices than we’ve seen, probably since the early 90s,” said Jason Tompkins, owner of TNT Tuna in North Lake, which buys and exports about three-quarters of Canada’s bluefin tuna quota. Tompkins says in a normal season, just “one or two” of the roughly 1,500 tuna caught off the northeast coast of P.E.I. will earn the boat more than $10,000, after being sold on high-end markets around North America, Europe and Japan. So far this year? photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:50
New £3.5 Million Ice Factory Revolutionises Peterhead Harbour Operations
Peterhead Port Authority has unveiled its new £3.5 million ice factory, a significant upgrade designed to enhance the efficiency and safety of operations at the port. This modern facility replaces the two ageing ice factories that were taken over by the Port Authority in 2022, marking a major investment in the future of the harbour. The new ice plant, constructed by German supplier KTI PLERSCH, was completed within a year, thanks to a well-coordinated effort involving local contractors and support from the Marine Fund Scotland, which provided a 25% grant towards the project. Ian Downie, Senior Port Engineer at Peterhead Port Authority, spoke about the project’s smooth execution and the benefits it brings to the port. “When we took over the Peterhead ice company, we recognised that the two existing factories were nearing the end of their operational life. We needed to replace them with a more efficient and reliable facility,” Downie explained. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:18
Labour needs to fix British fishing – will it stand by its principles now it is in power?
The question now is whether Labour will use its landslide majority to fix the extraordinary neglect of our marine environment that it previously lacked the votes for. Back in 2020, when the fisheries bill was making its way through parliament, Labour’s fisheries spokesperson, Luke Pollard, made the case that the prime objective of the bill should be sustainability: there should be a duty on ministers to take the advice of scientists when allocating fishing opportunities so as to avoid overfishing. He also argued that as the right to fish was a public asset, which ministers conceded during the course of the bill, preference should be given to the part of the fleet which had the highest levels of employment and the lowest environmental impact: the smaller boats, whose activities are limited naturally by the weather. more, >>CLICK TO READ 08:24
Russian ‘spy whale’ Hvaldimir found dead near Norway
A beluga whale that was suspected of spying for Russia after being discovered in Norwegian waters five years ago has been found dead, according to the non-profit organization that had been monitoring the whale. The body of Hvaldimir — a combination of the Norwegian word for whale and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin — was spotted floating in the sea by a father and son fishing in southern Norway over the weekend, Norwegian public broadcaster NRK reported. Hvaldimir was wearing a harness with what appeared to be a mount for a small camera when he was first found in 2019 near the island of Ingoya in Norway’s north, around 300 kilometres from the Russian maritime border. The harness was stamped with “Equipment St Petersburg” in English. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:08
Fishermen service ‘full of joy’ on minster return
A service to commemorate fishermen who have lost their lives at sea took place at Grimsby Minster on Sunday. The service, which has been held annually for more than 60 years, was back at the minster for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic. Family members of fishermen attended the service while wreaths were also laid by the memorial in St James Square. The Fishermen’s Mission Port Officer Suesan Brown said it was a “solemn occasion” but one that was “so full of joy because it’s that remembering of those people who have gone”. Grimsby was once claimed to be the biggest fishing port in the world and the community was determined to bring the service back to the town. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:40
Fishing vessel with 45 people onboard rescued after engine failure off Tasmanian coast
A fishing vessel with 45 people on board has been rescued from wild weather off the coast of Burnie after it experienced engine problems. The 80-metre Sealord Tokatu reportedly lost engine control while at sea early on Saturday morning, leaving it unable to manoeuvre. Two tugs were sent to assist the New Zealand-registered vessel back to the Port of Burnie, where it arrived safely several hours later. “The vessel is now safely back in port,” Harbour Master Captain Mick Wall said. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:23
New England Fishermen Stage Floating Protest at Vineyard Wind Site
I am continuing to keep an eye on the Vineyard Farms offshore blade failure near Nantucket. A few weeks ago, the facility was closed because of the failure of Vineyard Wind’s newly installed wind turbines, and the city was poised to sue. After one blade failed and ended up in the water, the beaches were cluttered with sharp fiberglass shards, which is a sub-optimum condition at the height of the summer tourist season. The vessels, hoisting anti-offshore wind flags and blasting air horns, departed early Sunday morning from ports in New Bedford, Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, Rhode Island and along the Cape, converging at about noon on the site of the crippled Vineyard Wind turbine. “The blade collapse was an eye-opener to a lot of people who before didn’t know that offshore wind is a disaster for the ocean,” said Shawn Machie, 54, who is captain of the New Bedford scalloper F/V Capt. John. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:36
Jersey Trawler Sinking – Bail granted for Ukrainian National accused of manslaughter
A 34-year-old man charged with three counts of manslaughter in relation to the sinking of the L’Ecume II trawler has been granted bail. Ukrainian national Artur Sevash-Zade is charged in connection with the deaths of skipper Michael Michieli and crewmembers Jervis Baligat and Larry Simyunn. The three men died when their fishing vessel, L’Ecume II, collided with Condor’s Commodore Goodwill freight ship on 8 December 2022. Lewis Peter Carr (29), a UK resident, has also been charged with three counts of manslaughter in relation to the incident. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:54
Offshore Trojan Horses
In July, the U.S. Department of Interior greenlighted large offshore wind farms in New Jersey and Maryland. Once the financial agreements are in place, New Jersey’s Atlantic Shores and Maryland’s Marwin and Momentum will join the two large wind farms in New York approved in June. These projects will receive huge, multibillion-dollar subsidies from the federal government and electricity ratepayers. What benefits will New Jersey and Maryland enjoy from this flood of money? To answer this question, it is best to recall the classic warning of the Trojan Horse legend, “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts”—in other words, the hidden dangers of accepting something that seems too good to be true. New York State ignored that warning when it agreed to pay very high prices for the electricity to be supplied from its new offshore wind farms—Empire Wind 1 and Sunrise Wind—located off the coast of Long Island. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:37
Fishermen Fight for Their Livelihoods Against Wind Farm Project in New England
In a recent interview with Fox Business, Jerry Leeman, CEO of the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association, expressed his deep concerns about the impact of a wind farm project off the coast of Nantucket on the livelihoods of local fishermen. The discussion, hosted by Dagen McDowell and Sean Duffy on “The Bottom Line,” highlighted the growing tension between environmental initiatives and the preservation of traditional industries like fishing. Leeman opened the conversation by addressing what he described as “greenwashing,” a term used to suggest that the wind farm project is being marketed as environmentally friendly while ignoring the negative consequences. “We have been greenwashed into thinking this is a good idea,” Leeman stated. He explained that the construction and operation of wind turbines are displacing vital fish stocks and creating dangerous debris fields that could threaten the safety of fishermen. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:50
Last trawler used in Falklands War to be scrapped
The last of the fishing trawlers requisitioned by the UK government to take part in the Falklands conflict is being scrapped. The Farnella, now known as the Empire Persia, was built on Tyneside in 1972 and was one of nine civilian vessels from Hull to travel to the South Atlantic in 1982. It then went on to become a treasure hunting ship on operations to find wrecks, some carrying gold and silver worth millions of pounds. Robb Robinson, maritime historian at Hull University said: “The Farnella is one of a long line of trawlers to serve in wartime and has had an amazing history since, it really is unique.” Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:17
Federal government will hold first-ever offshore wind auction off the Oregon coast in October
The federal government says it will hold Oregon’s first-ever offshore wind energy lease sale in mid-October to auction two areas where developers can build floating wind turbines. The announcement by the U.S. Department of the Interior on Thursday cements the development of offshore wind in Oregon despite vehement opposition from coastal communities, the state’s fishing industry and local tribes who say the process was rushed and ignored local input. The auction, to be held by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on Oct. 15, will include two areas totaling nearly 195,000 acres. The Coos Bay lease area consists of 61,203 acres and is about 32 miles from shore and the Brookings lease area is 133,792 acres and around 18 miles from shore. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:56
A Day In The Life Of: Maryport fisherman Shaun Humphreys
“I’ve been fishing all my life. I was getting a bit fed up with it all – the same old stuff, and not knowing what prices you were going to get – but now I love it.” Fifty-two-year-old Shaun’s career started at a young age, fishing with his great-uncle. “I started going out with him when I was really young. I was out on trawlers long before I left school.” On leaving school, Shaun’s career as a professional fisherman began – and by the 1990s he was skippering his own vessels. Fishing out of Maryport, targeting seasonal mixed flatfish, Nephrops and scallops, Shaun is now on his third vessel, Chelaris MT 23 – with his brother Wayne and son Cameron crewing. The Covid pandemic of 2020 led to the vessel’s name also becoming familiar with the people of Maryport, helping Shaun to rekindle his passion for fishing in the process. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:30
Why Is Cheap Wind Power So Expensive?
Hmmm, sez I, seems a mite ambitious. Current US grid-connected offshore wind is a mere 0.17 gigawatts … so we’d need to do ~ 175 times as much as we’ve done to date and do it in a short six years. So, I divided it out. There are 65 months until 2030. Thirty gigawatts are thirty thousand megawatts, less the 174 megawatts in place, that’s 29,826 megawatts more total generating capacity needed. 29,826 megawatts divided by 65 months means we’d have to add offshore wind generation to the tune of 465 additional megawatts of generation capacity per month. Every month. Starting now. Get real. That’s not remotely possible. The biggest US offshore windfarm just came online, 132 MW capacity. To reach the White House goal, every month we’d need to build three new windfarms of that size. No way that can happen. It’s just numbers picked out of the air to gain popular support. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:30
Norwegian fisherman’s new Cleopatra 36
Kjøllefjord skipper owner Daniel Lauritzen has taken delivery of a new Cleopatra 36 from Icelandic boatbuilder Trefjar. F/V Tinder is a standard Cleopatra 36 measuring 10.99 metres and with a 3.80-metre beam, and is rigged for longlining and gillnetting, and also ready for fishing king crab part of the year. The main engine is a 350hp Scania D9 driving a ZF286IV transmission, and a 9kW Nanni 9kW generator fitted in the engine room provides auxiliary power. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:20
County residents butt heads with harbor commissioners over offshore wind
Unhappy residents accused Port San Luis Harbor District commissioners of being untruthful about their connections to offshore wind companies during a chaotic, heated Aug. 27 meeting. “I would like clarification on why several days before your last meeting [July 23] why Clean Energy Terminals had on their website that you were partners, in partnership, and that you had come to an agreement,” REACT Alliance President Mandy Davis asked during public comment. “It was there on their website and to refer to someone as a partner is very, very specific.” Davis’ comment comes a month after commissioners voted 3-2, with Commissioners Mary Matakovich and Jim Blecha dissenting, to collaborate with Clean Energy Terminals (CET) on studies focused on whether Port San Luis can be a potential site to support offshore wind development. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:42
