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There is an increasing interest in developing innovative coatings and testing natural products with anti-fouling activity to substitute current highly toxic biocides that have a harmful impact on marine organisms. Bacillus licheniformis species have shown different anti-biofilm and anti-fouling activities in vitro, but so far, its efficacy in field trials has not been tested. For this purpose, the capacity of different extracts of B. licheniformis NCTC 10341T to prevent micro and macro-fouling was first tested in vitro. The methanol cell extract (MCE) inhibited bacterial biofilm formation without significantly affecting planktonic growth and displayed a significant efficacy to prevent larval settlement of the macro-fouler Bugula neritina in vitro without inducing lethality. Additionally, the MCE presented low toxicity against the non-target species Artemia salina. The B. licheniformis MCE was then incorporated in a self-polishing paint at 2 and 5% w/w and tested in a static immersion experiment in the Gulf of Aqaba (northern Red Sea) for 180 days. Fouling coverage decreased by 30% in the 5% MCE-treated panels in comparison with the control panels. Differences in the anti-biofilm activity of the extracts depending on the culture medium highlight the importance of the strict control of culture conditions for the production of biomass with stable bioactive activity. The results indicate the potential of B. licheniformis NCTC 10341T crude extracts for environmentally friendly anti-fouling applications, although a deeper characterization of the bioactive compounds present in the B. licheniformis MCE and its mode of action is required to allow strict control of the activity of the extracts to achieve large-scale industrial production.

Surface atmospheric temperatures over the Arctic Ocean are rising faster than the global average, and sea-ice coverage has declined, making some areas newly accessible to ocean-going ships. Even so, Arctic waters remain hazardous to ships, in part, because of the highly variable nature of sea-ice formation and drift in some areas. In this study, we investigated interannual variability in polar class (PC) ship accessibility in the northern BERING Sea and seas north of the BERING Strait (East Siberian, Chukchi, Beaufort) from February 2012 to February 2022. We used sea-ice charts from the U.S. National Ice Center and calculations of the Risk Index Outcome (RIO) for PC3, PC5, and PC7 ships to characterize spatiotemporal trends in PC ship accessibility during the months of February, June, September, and November over the last 10 to 11 years. We also characterized shipping activity on select days in 2021. Overall, PC ship accessibility during the months of February and June increased over the last decade, especially for PC7 ships. However, areas that became more accessible over time did not support heavy ship traffic, possibly because they were not located on preferred transit routes or because they were surrounded by unnavigable ice, which made them inaccessible in practice. Ship accessibility was highly variable in the northernmost, offshore regions of the study site. During June, PC7 ship accessibility was interannually variable in waters south of the BERING Strait, and ships were active in those regions (most were fishing vessels), indicating potentially hazardous conditions during this time of year. Accessibility was considerably less variable over space and time (months, years) for PC5 (ice capable) ships and for PC3 ships (heavy icebreakers). Information from this study can be used by PC ship operators planning safe and successful shipping routes and by coastal states preparing emergency services to protect the maritime community. As governments and the private se

The significant uncertainty and complexity of vessels at sea poses challenges for regulatory bodies in the fishing industry. This paper presents a method for identifying fishing vessel trajectory characteristics involving the Fourier series transform. The model utilizes the FOURIERseries and Gaussian mixture clustering to address the complexity and uncertainty issues in fishing vessel trajectories. First, the vessel trajectories undergo a process of dimensionality expansion and projection along the temporal axis. The relationship between trajectories and complex plane projection was elucidated in this process. Second, a vessel trajectory identification model involving FOURIER transformation was constructed. Subsequently, the phase spectrum was assigned binary values using differentiation, and the phase spectrum characteristics of the transformed trajectories through FOURIER transformation were analyzed. Finally, six encoding formats for fishing vessel motion trajectories in phase spectrum encoding are introduced, along with the determination of uncertain vessel motion range through mixed Gaussian clustering. This method has been validated using a dataset comprising 7,000 fishing vessel trajectories collected from the Beidou satellite positioning system. The results demonstrate that the range of uncertain vessel motion was able to be obtained with the assistance of Gaussian mixture clustering, with an 80% probability position of approximately 1,000 m and a 50% probability position of around 2,000 m. Effective identification of fishing vessel operating and navigational states was achieved, leading to the determination of a safety distance for fishing vessels in the range of 1,000m-2,000 m. This research holds important reference value for fishery regulatory agencies in terms of supervising fishing vessels and maintaining a safe navigational distance.

The introduction of a surface into the marine environment begins a process known as biofouling, which increases the weight and hydrodynamic drag of the fouled structure. This process is detrimental to maritime vessels and costs the industry ∼$150B in fuel and maintenance spending annually. Preventing the settlement of fouling organisms mitigates these issues and limits the spread of non-indigenous species (NIS). This is primarily achieved via antifouling paints. Ultraviolet light is a sterilization method used in water purification, food storage packaging, and within medical fields. Ultraviolet C (UV-C) radiation interacts with DNA to prevent growth, proliferation, and survival of bacteria, and biofilm formation. Recent progress in microelectronics technology has advanced the range of commercially available light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to include the UV wavelengths, and the reduced size and cost has allowed their integration into previously inaccessible locales. This study builds on recent progress in integrating UV-C LEDs into UV-lucent silicone tiles for fouling control. The operational cycle needed to prevent growth of Navicula incerta cells was determined. Constant irradiance at a peak of 5.77 μW/cm2 resulted in a significant reduction in diatoms within 2 h, and a 2 log and 3 log reduction after 48 h and 5 days, respectively. Duty cycling (pulsing) in all variations from 50 to 2.5%, indicated significant reductions in cell densities, and the lowest cycle could effectively reduce biofouling growth and increase the longevity of the LEDs for up to 45.6 years. Irradiance and exposure were altered over a set duration and indicated a restriction in growth between 0.01-0.82 J/cm2 and an increased mortality at irradiances > 2.65 J/cm2, suggesting an effective antifouling threshold between these dosages. The effective dosage for 1 log reduction in fouling was estimated to be 25 J/cm2 but varied according to irradiance delivery method. Effective dosage for a 1 log re

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.

Maritime security is an essential component of national security, and the effective maintenance of China's maritime security urgently needs a complete guarantee of the rule of law. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the construction of domestic law on maritime security has undergone three phases: slow development, formation and refinement. Although the rule of law in the seas has been constantly improved, it has provided essential safeguards for maintaining China's maritime sovereignty, security, and rights and interests. It has facilitated the development of maritime undertakings. However, it still faces problems such as the lack of an explicit constitutional basis, the law of the sea is not an independent departmental law, the absence of the fundamental law of the sea, the lack of operability of marine legislation, and the existence of some gaps in marine laws. Given the problems with the current domestic law on maritime security, it is necessary to make improvements in the following areas: adding marine provisions to the Constitution, formulating the fundamental law of the sea and other marine laws, improving local marine laws, and introducing implementing regulations.

Transports : la Commission européenne va présenter un nouveau paquet de mesures pour les ports en 2013.

Transport: European Commission to bring forward new package of measures for ports in 2013.

Tanzania finally endorses EAC anti-piracy protocol.

US navy prepares allies to 'protect navigation' in Gulf.

Scottish fishers receive additional safety funding.