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Cunard Extends Suspension Of Cruises To May 15.

MSI: Tanker Market May be Hit Most by Epidemic's Effects.

'Wholly inappropriate' quarantine practices may have helped spread coronavirus on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, experts say.

South Korea to Investigate Sewol Sinking from May.

Exclusive: From Russia with fuel - North Korean ships may be undermining sanctions.

Great Barrier Reef: Queensland Labor may break election vow and allow ​coal ship loading.

International limits on the concentrations of living organisms in ballast water are now in force for commercial ships. Microscopy-based, "direct count" assays estimate the concentrations of organisms. These assays are used in performance tests of Ballast Water Management Systems (BWMSs), which are shipboard technologies designed to reduce living organisms in ballast water to below the discharge limits. Here, we examine the factors that affect the method detection limit (MDL) of direct count assays. The MDL depends upon the volumes sampled, concentrated (or diluted), and analyzed, so the MDL will vary as these volumes vary from analysis-to-analysis. Decreasing the MDL to detect exceedingly rare individuals (e.g., ~1 individual per m3 or fewer) is possible, but problematic, given the challenges in analyzing dynamic communities of living organisms: increasing sample and analysis volumes to lower the MDL will likely accelerate the loss of individuals, as organisms are concentrated to several orders of magnitude above in situ concentrations and held for extended times. Results of direct count assays may be widely disseminated as an indicator of the performance of BWMSs, and when no organisms are detected, concentrations may be shown as "0 organisms per m3 or mL" rather than "-provides context to results and transparency into the sensitivity of the assay.

Promoting the sustainable development of marine environments requires planning, just as we have long had spatial planning for land-based activities. Now researchers from the University of Gothenburg and elsewhere are showing that marine planning must take climate change into consideration - something that it does not currently do. The researchers' models show that changes to temperature and salt content may impact ecosystems and species as much as all other effects on the environment combined.

Beluga whales are highly social and vocal marine mammals. They use acoustics to navigate, find prey, avoid predators and maintain group cohesion. For Alaska's critically endangered COOK Inlet beluga population, these crucial communications may compete with a cacophony of noise from human activities.

Studies of humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) habitat use in their Hawaiian breeding grounds have revealed that mother-calf pairs favor shallow waters to avoid harassment from males. However, human activity in these same waters may exert an opposing force on habitat use. To investigate this hypothesis, instantaneous scan samples of whale and vessel distribution were collected from West Maui, Hawaiʻi. Theodolite position fixes were combined with GIS techniques to determine the depths and seabed terrain type occupied by 161 humpback whale pods containing a calf (calf pods) and 872 pods without a calf (noncalf pods). We found no significant diurnal trends for noncalf pods, but calf pods occupied progressively deeper water over the course of each day. There was no evidence that this shift was related to (1) a "spillover" resulting from high mother-calf density in shallow water, (2) harassment by males occupying the same space as mother-calf pairs, or (3) the presence of mainly older and larger calves. However, while diurnal trends of whale-watching vessels largely mirrored those of mother-calf pods, nonwhale-watching vessels tended to remain in shallower waters throughout the day. These results suggest that nearshore vessels may negatively impact the natural preference of mother-calf pairs for shallow waters.

Emission trading is an efficient measure to combat climate change, which is one of the biggest threats to the international community and human health. The shipping industry has previously been considered an energy-saving industry but the growth rate of its emissions far exceeds that of other industries. On 10 May 2023, the EU enacted Regulation (EU) 2023/957, which officially included the shipping industry in the EU-ETS. Therefore, this may lead to investor-state disputes regarding emission trading in the marine industry due to the conflicts between the obligation to combat climate change and the obligation to protect investments of the host states. This has resulted in the breaching of International Investment Agreements. In this context, this study aimed to propose practical recommendations for global marine market practitioners to avoid the potential risks of disputes by reflecting on the existing practice regarding climate change-related investor-state dispute resolutions and identifying the trends and problems of the current dispute resolution mechanism. These included inconsistency in the review standard, inconsistency in the review scope, and broad interpretation by the tribunal. Finally, this study proposed that by setting public purpose and exception clauses in the preambles of the International Investment Agreements and incorporating the specific obligations of the foreign investors and the regulatory power of the hosting states in the drafting stage, the potential risks for disputes regarding the new EU directive in the global marine industry could be effectively reduced.

Retirees may find living on a cruise ship makes financial sense when compared to other options.

Retirees may find living on a cruise ship makes financial sense when compared to other options.

New Nicaragua Canal May Change Global Trade.

EU may re-impose sanctions on Iran ship line despite court order.

Brazil customs staff to strike Wednesday; port operations may be affected - Read this Platts shipping news article here. Plus discover more shipping market news, products & services.

Ports across the world suffer worst hit since the Lehman crisis as emerging markets wilt, but trade may not matter so much to global GDP any longer.

Ports across the world suffer worst hit since the Lehman crisis as emerging markets wilt, but trade may not matter so much to global GDP any longer.

El Nino Onset May Impact Panama Canal Drafts.

Ancient Roman Shipwreck May Have Held Giant Fish Tank.

Raided Turkish ship may skip next Gaza mission.

Ferry crew 'may have fled ship' before passengers.