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Race Direction have requested that Boris HERRMANN and Yannick BESTAVEN and also Sébastien SIMON alter course to head to the zone to help.

The inland waters around southern Vancouver Island and northern Washington State, known as the Salish Sea, host critical habitat for endangered southern resident killer whales (SRKW). This is, however, a highly traversed area, with approaches to industrial ports and coastal cities, international shipping lanes, ferry routes, and considerable recreational vessel traffic. Vessel noise is a key threat to SRKW prosperity, and so conservation measures directed to mitigate its effects have been explored annually since 2017. Here, we describe trials undertaken in 2020, which included spatially limited slowdown zones, exclusion areas as Interim whale Sanctuary Zones (ISZs), and a lateral displacement of tug transits to increase the distance between their route and SRKW foraging areas. To assess each of the measures we first considered the level of mariner participation using data from the Automated Identification Systems (AIS), mandatory for commercial vessels. Knowing this, the changes in soundscape were examined, focused on impacts on broadband (10 Hz to 100 kHz) ambient noise and the frequencies used by SRKW for communication (500 Hz to 15 kHz) and echolocation (15 to 100 kHz). A control period of two-months prior to trial initiation was used to quantify the changes. High levels (> 80%) of compliance were found for each measure, except ISZs, where observance was low. Median reduction in speeds ranged from 0.2-3.5 knots. Resulting sound reductions were most notable in the lower frequencies, although reductions were also recorded in SRKW pertinent ranges. Tug displacement also reduced ambient noise in these frequencies, despite making up a small portion of the overall traffic. The management trials were effective in reducing potential impacts singularly and in concert. Greater awareness and stakeholder engagement may increase compliance and, therefore, the efficacy of measures in the future.

Chronic low-frequency noise from commercial shipping is a worldwide threat to marine animals that rely on sound for essential life functions. Although the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recognizes the potential negative impacts of shipping noise in marine environments, there are currently no standard metrics to monitor and quantify shipping noise in U.S. marine waters. However, one-third octave band acoustic measurements centered at 63 and 125 Hz are used as international (European Union Marine Strategy Framework Directive) indicators for underwater ambient noise levels driven by shipping activity. We apply these metrics to passive acoustic monitoring data collected over 20 months in 2016-2017 at five dispersed sites throughout the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone: Alaskan Arctic, Hawaii, Gulf of Mexico, Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument (Northwest Atlantic), and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary (Northeast Pacific). To verify the relationship between shipping activity and underwater sound levels, vessel movement data from the Automatic Identification System (AIS) were paired to each passive acoustic monitoring site. Daily average sound levels were consistently near to or higher than 100 dB re 1 μPa in both the 63 and 125 Hz one-third octave bands at sites with high levels of shipping traffic (Gulf of Mexico, Northeast Canyons and Seamounts, and Cordell Bank). Where cargo vessels were less common (the Arctic and Hawaii), daily average sound levels were comparatively lower. Specifically, sound levels were ∼20 dB lower year-round in Hawaii and ∼10-20 dB lower in the Alaskan Arctic, depending on the season. Although these band-level measurements can only generally facilitate differentiation of sound sources, these results demonstrate that international acoustic indicators of commercial shipping can be applied to data collected in U.S. waters as a unified metric to approximate the influence of shipping as a driver of

The collection and distribution network of ports is the main cause of carbon emissions. The carbon peak is a basic policy in China, and the subsidy policy is one of the common measures used by the government to incentivize carbon reduction. We analyzed the transportation methods and the flow direction of a port and proposed a carbon emission calculation method based on emission factors. Based on the transportation time and the cost, a generalized transportation utility function was constructed, and the logit model was used to analyze the impacts of subsidy policies on transportation, thus calculating the effects of the subsidies on carbon reduction. We used Guangzhou Port as a case study, and calculated the carbon reduction effects in six different subsidy policy scenarios and concluded that the absolute carbon reduction value was proportional to the subsidy intensity. In addition, we constructed a subsidy carbon reduction efficiency index and found that the Guangzhou Port collection and distribution network had higher subsidy carbon reduction efficiency in low-subsidy scenarios. Finally, a sensitivity analysis was conducted on the subsidy parameters, and scenario 8 was found to have the highest subsidy carbon reduction efficiency. This achievement can provide decision support for the carbon emission strategy of the port collection and distribution network.

The carbon emission of shipping industry accounts for about 3% of the global total. With the continuous growth of international trade, the decarbonization and carbon neutralization of shipping industry has become an important direction for future development. New technologies, fuels and operational measures can help reduce the industry's greenhouse gas emissions, but without appropriate laws and policies, it will be difficult to achieve the targets set by the industry. Therefore, this paper reviews the decarbonization laws and policies introduced by International Maritime Organization, the European Union and the national levels. Then, this paper reviews the literature from two aspects: applicability and evaluation of laws and policies, improvement of laws and policies. On this basis, we summarize the challenges of shipping in formulating laws and policies and suggestions for improving them. Among them, the most important problem is the coordination between unilateral regulation and uniform regulation. Finally, this paper proposes the development principles based on shipping decarbonization laws and policies, that is, to comply with the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities", to coordinate the relationship between international trade and international environmental protection, and to guarantee technical assistance to developing countries.

Many marine megafauna taxa are tied to the sea surface for breathing which makes them vulnerable to vessel collisions. Sea turtles have developed efficient mechanisms to reduce surface time for breathing to a few seconds, but they can extend their surface periods to rest or to rewarm after diving into deep and colder waters. However, knowledge of collision occurrences is limited to data of turtles stranded along the coastline worldwide, whereas events occurring offshore go likely underestimated due to the sinking of carcasses. Here we performed a spatially explicit assessment to identify, for the first time, oceanic areas of higher exposure for sea turtles from maritime traffic in the Tyrrhenian Sea, Western Mediterranean. Satellite-tracking data were used to estimate utilization distributions of loggerhead turtles using Brownian bridge kernel density estimation. Maritime traffic density maps based on Automatic Identification System (AIS) data were extracted from open-access data layers, provided by the European Maritime Safety Agency, summarized, and used for the exposure analysis. Turtle occurrences were also investigated in response to vessel densities and seasonal patterns by fitting a generalized additive model to the data. Our results demonstrated that loggerhead turtles are potentially exposed to maritime traffic across the entire basin, especially in the easternmost part. The exposure varies among spring/summer and autumn/winter months. Highest turtle occurrences were found in regions primarily subjected to cargo, tanker, and passenger transportation. This study represents the first-ever effort to characterize the exposure of oceanic loggerhead turtles to maritime traffic and highlights oceanic areas of higher exposure where research and conservation efforts should be directed to understand the effective impact of this stressor on the species.

Global warming has led to rapid warming in the Arctic region and continuous melting of ice and snow, and the seaworthiness of the Arctic shipping routes is increasing significantly. This has also aroused widespread concern from the international community regarding the environmental impact of Arctic shipping activities. Thus, this paper reviews 75 articles to evaluate the different impacts of Arctic shipping on the region's environment. The research results show that the impact of current Arctic shipping activities is extensive, and it can identify three major impacts: impact on water bodies, impact of air emissions and impact on animal survival. In this context, to mitigate the growing negative impact of shipping activities on the fragile Arctic environment, it is essential to adopt technical and operational solutions for ships and formulate new or stricter standards and rules for Arctic shipping activities. At the same time, existing research has gaps in four areas: Arctic environmental and ecological baseline surveys, quantitative research on the direct and synergistic environmental impacts from Arctic shipping, implications of Arctic shipping activities on aboriginal health, and the Arctic shipping gas emission model based on artificial intelligence technology. We recommend enriching relevant research to enhance the ability to assess the impacts of Arctic shipping routes.

With increasing demand for exploration and utilization of marine resources, achieving direct and efficient communication between water and air has been an urgent need. Sound waves, as the only propagation way with low attenuation in both water and air, has been considered the most practical way to achieve water-air communication.

One direct consequence of Arctic warming is the expansion of navigable portions of the Arctic Ocean. As a result, vessel traffic and the accompanying threats of spills, strikes and disturbance is intensifying throughout the Arctic. In the BERING Sea, these threats to the environment, wildlife and to the people who rely on marine resources for food and cultural continuity, are acute. We examined the spatial relevance of an Area To Be Avoided (ATBA), a shipping-risk mitigation measure, established around St. Lawrence Island with respect to seabirds, as sentinel species, habitat use. We studied four seabird species (common murre Uria aalge, thick-billed murre U. lomvia, crested auklet Aethia cristatella, black-legged kittiwake Rissa tridactyla) breeding at St. Lawrence Island in the northern BERING Sea. GPS tracking data from 47 at-sea foraging trips showed that both murre species and crested auklets distributed outside the ATBA, during at least one stage of the breeding season. A larger dataset based on the birds' red blood cell isotopic signatures confirmed that for murres, the tracked individuals covered the broad niche exploited by these species. Habitat modelling further showed that the birds' most suitable marine habitats were associated with seasonal surface chlorophyll blooms, and largely extended beyond the ATBA on the shelf north of the island. Data on the murres' diet and diving behavior emphasized the importance of the shelf as a foraging habitat for these birds. We suggest that extending the ATBA to the north by only 35 km, would include areas of maximal habitat suitability. This extension would better protect seabirds, their foraging habitats and the cultural continuity of St. Lawrence Islanders, against growing threats stemming from Arctic warming.

Although shipping is a relatively energy-saving and environmentally friendly mode of transportation, the growth rate of its energy consumption and carbon emissions far exceeds that of other industries. As an important response to climate change, shipping decarbonization is not only an important part of achieving the temperature control goal of the Paris Agreement but is also an important direction for the future development of China's ecological civilization construction. China has formulated and promulgated legislation and policies on shipping decarbonization both at the national and local levels. The proposal in 2020 of the goal of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality has accelerated this process. In this context, this paper aims at reflecting on legislation and policies for decarbonization of shipping under China's "double carbon" target, and proposing suggestions for improvement. Firstly, we systematically review China's legislation and policies on shipping decarbonization to outline the normative system of China's shipping carbon reduction. Secondly, this paper evaluates China's legislation and policies on shipping decarbonization from the perspective of both achievements and challenges. Finally, this paper proposes that China's legislation and policies for decarbonization of shipping should be further improved from two aspects: enhancing mandatory force and expanding normative content.

The past 15 years have witnessed the rapid development of China's cruise industry from scratch and the formation of a policy system in the cruise industry, reflecting the shift of the Chinese government's attitude towards the cruise industry from wait-and-see, recognition and encouragement to active support. The paper conducts a statistical analysis of 128 policies related to the cruise industry issued by China's administrative departments at all levels. It is found that the release of policies synchronizes with the development of the cruise industry, with each one providing feedback to the other. The policies do not exhibit a time lag with respect to their effects. The evolution of policy types from macro-level guidance to concrete operation is rapid, with the policy structure gradually improving. In line with current characteristics of the development of China's cruise industry, the themes of the policies concentrate on five areas: cruise tourism services and products, port construction and development, cruise industry chain expansion, cruise industry environment and cruise industry management. However, there is still a lack of adequate policies to support and guide the industrial upgrading of cruise operation and cruise construction and its green and low-carbon development. In addition, the paper points out the main directions of future policy formulation.

In 2020, China proposed the country's dual carbon goals of peaking carbon emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060. Under the dual carbon goals, the low-carbon transformation has become an important development direction for Chinese ports. Taking eight ports in China's Bohai-rim port group as an example, this study adopts the Slacks-Based Measure (SBM) model to evaluate the port efficiency considering the environmental factor of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The results show that the average scale environmental efficiency of the eight ports during 2005-2020 is the highest, followed by local pure technical environmental efficiency and global technical environmental efficiency. The efficiency values of each port under different environmental efficiency categories vary greatly. Overall, each port is in a state of environmental inefficiency. From port technology, input-output optimization, supervision, and management of relevant departments, recommendations for improving the environmental efficiency of ports under the dual carbon goals are put forward.

In last year's Arctic Report Card, experts provided indirect evidence that ship traffic is increasing in the Arctic: record amounts of foreign trash and marine debris like abandoned fishing gear are washing up in BERING Sea communities, and the underwater soundscape is getting louder. An essay in the 2022 Arctic Report Card reports direct evidence that ship traffic is increasing as sea ice dwindles-not just in near-shore, territorial waters of Arctic coastal countries, but increasingly, in the high seas of the Central Arctic Ocean.