Bangladesh dolphins get Sundarbans sanctuaries

BBC News, byAnbarasan Ethirajan, Dhaka, 31 October

The dolphins are among the world's most endangered mammals
(Photo: Rubaiyat Mansur Mowgli)

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Bangladeshis declaring three areas in the southern Sundarbans mangrove forest as dolphinsanctuaries to protect freshwater dolphins, officials say.

Conservationistssay the mangrove forest is the only place in the world where the Ganges riverdolphins and Irrawaddy dolphins are found.

Thesedolphins are among the world's most endangered mammals.

Fishermennormally do not target them, but the animals get entangled in fishing nets anddrown.

They arealso threatened by rising salinity levels and pollution.

"Wehave decided to declare Dhangmari, Chandpai and Dudhmukhi areas of easternSundarbans as dolphin sanctuaries so that these mammals can survive in a safeenvironment," Tapan Kumar Dey, a senior wildlife conservation official,told the BBC.

He said thethree water segments were identified as dolphin hotspots by the WildlifeConservation Society's Bangladesh Cetacean Diversity Project (BCDP), which hasbeen doing research in Bangladesh.

'Clearlydemarcated'

Mr Dey saidan official notification on establishing the sanctuaries will be issued by theministry of environment soon.

"Thewaterways in these areas will be clearly demarcated and there will besignpostings so that local fishermen will not venture into this region forfishing," Mr Dey said.

Environmentalistssay the diverse aquatic ecosystem of the Sundarbans support an impressivevariety of cetaceans - whales, dolphins and porpoises.

WhileGanges river dolphins find safe haven in the upper regions of Sundarbans,Irrawaddy dolphins thrive in the southern parts, which are closer to the Bay ofBengal.

Thedecision by the forest department coincided with a new survey by the BCDPwhich, apart from freshwater dolphins, also reported sightings of the finlessporpoises and an Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin in western Sundarbans.

These twocetacean species, which are normally found along the coast, migrate upriver inSundarbans mostly during winter, when the salinity level is high. They go backafter fresh water starts flowing into the rivers.

Thenine-day survey was conducted in the western part of Sundarbans mangroveforests earlier this month.

"Thisyear we encountered many of them during the recent survey, soon after the rainswhen the salinity level is low. Their presence in this region at this time maybe an indication of the rising salinity level," Rubaiyat Mansur Mowgli,principal researcher of the BCDP said.

"Ourpreliminary results indicate that there is a high density of dolphin populationin western Sundarbans as well and some areas there might also be identified asdolphin hotspots," Mr Mowgli said,

However, hewarned that the identification of new dolphin hotspots does not mean theanimals are thriving in Sundarbans.

"Decliningfreshwater supplies and rising sea levels due to global climate change areaffecting the dolphin population," Mr Mowgli said.

Two yearsago, researchers found that there were nearly 6,000 Irrawaddy dolphins - whichare related to orcas or killer whales - in the waterways of Sundarbans mangroveforests and the nearby coastal waters of the Bay of Bengal.

Dutch help clean up NZ oil spill

RNW, 10October 2011

A containership which ran onto a reef off the coast of New Zealand is no longer leakingoil. Cor Radings, spokesman for the partly Dutch-based company Svitzer Salvagesays they will start on Tuesday cleaning up the oil spilled in the Bay ofPlenty, an important habitat for dolphins, whales, penguins and seals.

“On Sundaywe began pumping the fuel to a tanker moored nearby, until the weatherconditions forced a temporary halt. We’re also preparing to remove thecontainers, although the angle of the ship will make it difficult. ”

SvitzerSalvage is leading an operation involving 250 specialists from Australia, GreatBritain, Singapore and the Netherlands, with 300 New Zealand servicemenstanding by.

It’s notclear how the Rena, A Greek ship sailing under a Liberian flag, ran aground infine weather on a reef clearly marked on all charts. It can’t be moved untilthe containers have been removed and even then it could still break up and leakmore oil.

So far theenvironmental damage has not been as bad as was feared, with only a fewseabirds and penguins covered in oil.

The NewZealand authorities say they will investigate all aspects of the case,including possible alcohol use by the crew.

In thisphoto provided by Maritime New Zealand, shipping containers float 

Wednesday, inthe water around the cargo ship Rena that has been foundering

 since it ranaground Oct. 5 on the Astrolabe Reef, about 14 miles (22 kilometers) 

fromTauranga Harbour, New Zealand. The condition of the stricken cargo ship

 stuckthat is leaking oil worsened Wednesday, with about 70 containers falling 

overboard and the vessel moving onto a steeper lean.

(AP/Maritime NewZealand, Blair Harkness)

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Govt eyes more cruise ship visits to RI

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 10/08/2011

Thegovernment plans to separate industrial and tourism ports to bring moreinternational cruise liners to Indonesia due to growing demands.

“We have toprepare our ports because they are crowded with cargo ships. Internationalcruise tourists want to see the beauty of the port,” Firmansyah, the Cultureand Tourism Ministry’s director general for tourism development, told TheJakarta Post at his office on Friday.

He saidthat the ministry was collaborating with port operator PT Pelindo I and II aswell as local administrations to improve ports including Tanah Ampo and Benoain Bali, Tanjung Mas in Central Java, Tanjung Priok in Jakarta, Belawan inNorth Sumatra and Palopo in South Sulawesi.

“We have toadmit that we are lacking ground handling facilities. We are working hard sothat more international cruise ships can visit Indonesia,” he said, adding thatthe cruise industry had a lot of promise in Indonesia.

As ofSeptember 2011, there were 178 cruise ship calls with 113,766 passengers comingto Indonesia, while in 2010, that figure stood at 198 for the calls thatbrought 94,228 passengers.

In 2012, hesaid that as many as 215 calls have been scheduled to visit Indonesian ports,bringing 137,279 passengers.

He addedthat 2,000-passenger cruise ships had anchored twice in Tanah Ampo this year,including the Australian Sun Princess, which anchored at Tanah Ampo on July 17.

SunPrincess was the first ship to make a stopover after several others canceledtheir visits due to unfinished docking facilities. With 2,100 passengers and880 crew on board, the ship made its final stopover in Tanah Ampo beforereturning to Fremantle, Australia.

Kicking offits journey in Fremantle, the ship went to Padang, Langkawi and Singaporebefore heading to Vietnam and Cambodia.

“Tanah Ampostill needs a wharf extension to be able to accommodate cruise liners, and weare working on that,” Firmansyah said.

The currentpier is only 154 meters long, while the international standard is at least 300meters.

Constructionis unfinished, despite being was initiated years ago, for lack of around Rp 200billion (US$23.6 million) budgeted by the central government.

Althoughdocking facilities are not yet finished, cruise ships can anchor some 400meters away from the wharf and small boats bring passengers and crew to afloating jetty to reach the terminal.

However,Firmansyah was upbeat that the dock would be finished soon because Pelindo andlocal administrations have felt the benefits. “Indonesia gets at least $1million from cruise liner business a year,” he said.

Indonesiaalso plans to make Bali a hub cruise port that will connect several potentialports for foreign tourists in 2014, he said.

From Bali,cruise liners will travel to Semarang, Jakarta, Palopo, Flores and back toBali.

Theministry is still choosing between Benoa and Tanah Ampo as the hub. However, hesaid that if Benoa were chosen, it would take much more work and time. (nfo)

Seized Vessel Shines Light on Illegal Fishing

Jakarta Globe, October 09, 2011

Juneau,Alaska. The recent seizure of a stateless ship in international waters 4,200kilometers off Alaska's coast has spotlighted the challenge that the UnitedStates and other nations face in trying to crack down on illegal fishing, anactivity that accounts for up to $23.5 billion a year in global economiclosses.  

Findingrogue vessels in the vast, open ocean can be like finding a needle in ahaystack. But US officials and some environmentalists say progress is beingmade, including multinational patrol and enforcement agreements and thepotential for sanctions against countries that engage in illegal, unreportedand unregulated (or IUU) fishing.  

Morecountries are joining the efforts and there is greater awareness of the illegalfishing issue in the US and Europe, where patrons ask restaurants and shops forthe source of their product.  

There areefforts to better track high-value products like bluefin tuna to ensure theywere obtained legally, and to keep illegal product out, said Rebecca Lent,director of the Office of International Affairs for National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administration Fisheries.  

Suchefforts are important because "we can't be out there all the time,watching the boats," she said.  

"Ithink there's been progress [but] we have to continue; you can't let your guarddown," Lent said. "It's like any place where you might have crime orillegal activity. You just have to stay vigilant, if you will."  

The seizureof the Bangun Perkasa was the first of a suspected illegal fishing vessel bythe US Coast Guard since 2008.  

The shipwas spotted by a Japanese aircraft on Aug. 31 and seized by the Coast Guard onSept. 7, under an agreement that includes annual patrols of internationalwaters of the Pacific to look for illegal drift-netting. High-seas drift netsare often referred to as "the wall of death" because they capturemyriad species the pirates don't intend to use. The United Nations has banneddrift netting.  

The driftnet on the Bangun Perkasa was about 16 kilometers long and crew members cut itin an attempt to flee, said Capt. Craig Lloyd, chief of response for the CoastGuard in Alaska. Authorities were able to stop the vessel but a second ship inthe area got away, he said.  

The CoastGuard reported that 30 tons of squid and about 30 shark carcasses were onboardthe rat-infested ship. The vessel arrived near Dutch Harbor in southwest Alaskalast weekend after a laborious escort that included two Coast Guardcutters.  

NOAAFisheries must decide what to do with the ship and catch once the rats areeradicated and the boat is in good enough shape to be brought closer to shore.Alaska law forbids ships with rats from entering state waters.  

The CoastGuard said the crew initially claimed the vessel was from Indonesia butIndonesian officials did not claim it. In the case of a stateless vessel, theUS can impose its own law, Lloyd said.  

The 22 crewmembers are from China, Vietnam, Taiwan and Indonesia, the Coast Guard said.Authorities investigating the case are expected to forward their findings tothe US attorney's office.  

Lloydcalled the seizure a big win for the international community and forlaw-abiding fishermen. Still, statistics are elusive as to whether enforcementactions are having a significant impact on the problem.  

The USCommerce Department in a report to Congress this year said that since IUUfishing activities are generally carried out covertly monitoring and detectionare difficult.  

Estimatessuggest global economic losses due to illegal fishing could be as high as $23.5billion a year, with the problem a particular concern in the waters offdeveloping countries. John Hocevar, oceans campaign director for theenvironmental group Greenpeace USA, said losses to sub-Sahara Africa alone areestimated at over $1 billion annually.  

The tolltaken by pirate fishing can't be overstated, he said: Fisheries are beingdepleted, many countries lack the resources to monitor and enforce illegalfishing in their waters, and large ships and powerful gear allow pirates to gofarther out on the high seas, meaning, "fish literally have no place tohide."  

He cited aconcern with sharks, often targeted because they're prized for shark-fin soup.Sharks have low reproductive rates, he said, leaving them vulnerable if theirnumbers steeply decline.   

Lent saidher agency plans to propose expanding the definition of IUU fishing to includeprotections for sharks.  

Earlierthis year, the Commerce Department reported that it had identified sixcountries as having engaged in IUU fishing in 2009 or 2010: Colombia, Ecuador,Italy, Panama, Portugal and Venezuela. Twelve other countries were consideredbut either the allegations were refuted or the nations involved said they'dacted to address the concern.  

Italy,Panama and four other countries — France, Libya, China and Tunisia — wereidentified in a 2009 report to Congress. But in each case of verifiedviolations, the countries took action against the vessels or persons involvedand showed proof of their own efforts, according to the Commerce Department. 

Countriesthat do not comply run the risk of sanctions including a block on imports.   Hocevar said the federal government now hasstrong tools to hold other countries accountable if they're supporting illegalfishing. And he thinks NOAA is doing a good job in addressing the problem.  

Newtechnology to monitor vessels and attention to the issue by the United Nationshelps, too.  

"Butthe fact is, we still have a multibillion-dollar problem on our hands," hesaid, "and we still have a long way to go."  

Associated Press  

Ministry to build 16,000 houses for fishermen

The Jakarta Post, Thu, 10/06/2011

The PublicHousing Ministry says it will build around 16,000 affordable across thecountry, especially for fishermen.

“We willbuild around 16,000 very inexpensive houses for fishermen. The locations willbe all throughout Indonesia and will later be determined by the MaritimeAffairs and Fishery Ministry,” Public Housing Minister Suharso Monoarfa saidThursday as quoted by tribunnews.com.

He said hehoped that the houses, to be priced between Rp 6 million (US$672) and Rp 11million, would reduce the backlog of housing in the country and also improvethe prosperity of fishermen.

“Althoughthey [fishermen] go to sea for two to three weeks at a time, they have homes toreturn to. Of course we don’t want them living in uninhabitable houses. It ishoped that through this cheap housing, fishermen and their families can have abetter quality of life,” he said.

Russia to sell off its nuclear ice-breaker fleet

RT.com, 04October, 2011

Ice-breaker(RIA Novosti / Vadim Zhernov)

A state-runcompany that operates atomic ice-breakers in Russia may soon become private.

AtomFleethas been removed from the list of previously untouchable assets.

This,however, does not mean the state is going to sell it off completely. Thepresidential order is expected to allow the fleet to be put up for auction,while still keeping 100 per cent of it as state property under the supervisionof RosAtom.

Militaryspecialists say the main reason behind the move is economic. Ever since thecompany became part of state-owned RosAtom, the losses experienced haveamounted to millions of dollars annually. Private companies operating innorthern Russia immediately started looking for cheaper alternatives.

Thesituation was worsened by the growing popularity of diesel ice-breakers. As aresult, the demand for nuclear-powered icebreakers went down, while themaintenance cost of nuclear-powered icebreakers remained the same, making themhighly unprofitable to operate.

Russia hasbeen the only country to produce nuclear-powered icebreakers. Currently,Russia’s atomic fleet owns four two-reactor icebreakers (“Rossiya”, “SovietUnion”, “Yamal”, and “50 Years of Victory”), two one-reactor icebreakers(“Taimyr” and “Vaigach”), the “Sevmorput” container ship, and five floatingtechnical aid units.

Nuclearicebreakers are not the only pieces of Russian equipment rumored to be putaside.

Earlierthere were media reports that the Russian Navy was getting rid of its most powerful submarines, the Typhoon class.

Designed tocarry big nuclear warheads, the Typhoon-class submarines are the largest in theworld. However, their immense size was said to be the main reason why thecountry decided to decommission the underwater veterans.

Thevessels, it was said, did not meet the terms of the new START treaty signed byRussia and the US in the spring of 2010. The long-awaited treaty considerablylimited the strategic arsenals of each country to 1,550 nuclear warheads.

The rumors,however, proved to be a hoax.

Ship grounded on New Zealand reef watched for signs of oil spill

English.news.cn   2011-10-05

The236-meter cargo ship Rena struck the Astrolabe Reef, about 12
 nautical milesoff the coast near Tauranga Harbour, at around 2. 20 a.m.
Wednesday and waslisting, said a statement from Maritime New Zealand (MNZ).
(Xinhua/ReutersPhoto)

WELLINGTON,Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's shipping authorities have cordoned off aLiberian-flagged container ship that has grounded on a reef off the east of theNorth Island as they attempt to assess whether it poses an environmental risk.

The236-meter cargo ship Rena struck the Astrolabe Reef, about 12 nautical milesoff the coast near Tauranga Harbour, at around 2. 20 a.m. Wednesday and waslisting, said a statement from Maritime New Zealand (MNZ).

None of the25 crew aboard the 47,000-tonne vessel were reported injured, it said.

A lightsheen of oil was visible around the ship, but it was thought to be hydraulicoil from the engine and was not considered "a significant environmentalrisk at this point," it said.

MNZ hadactivated its Maritime Incident Response Team (MIRT) of experts to providetechnical advice and oversight.

MNZ's25-strong National Response Team of oil spill specialists was setting up acommand center in Tauranga, and would lead the response in the event of a significantspill from the ship.

MIRTincident controller Renny van der Velde said the plans being put in place bythe oil spill response team would form a safety net in the event of any spilledoil.

"Whilethe aim is to remove the vessel with no oil spilled, it is important to havecontingency plans in place in case something goes wrong."

The vesselowner -- reported to be the Israel-based Ofer Brothers Group, one of theworld's largest private shipping firms - - was responsible for coordinating asalvage plan.

MNZ wasalso working with wildlife experts from Massey University and the Department ofConservation, which advised there were no immediate concerns for marine life,to prepare for any possible spill.

An MNZmaritime safety inspector aboard the vessel had assessed the damage and advisedthat the ship had several breaches to the hull, affecting cargo holds on theport side.

The shipwas on a 10-degree list, but was stable on the reef, and fuel in tanks on theport side was being transferred to the starboard side as a precautionarymeasure, said the MNZ statement.

Pumps wereworking remove water from the cargo holds.

The ship'scaptain was in discussion with the ship's owner and salvage experts to assesshow best to move the ship off the reef, but a decision was expected to take"some time."

The localBay of Plenty Regional Council staff has ordered a 1- kilometer exclusion zonearound the vessel, which was fully laden.

Taurangaharbour master Carl Magazinovic he had received reports of "sightseeingvessels" near the grounded ship, potentially causing safety issues anddisrupting response efforts.

"Thissituation is expected to continue for some time so we will be monitoringmovement of vessels around the area, and anyone found breaching the exclusionzone could face a fine of up to 20, 000 NZ dollars (15,220 U.S. dollars),"said Magazinovic.

MichaelHodgins of the Mediterranean Shipping Company, which chartered the 21-year-oldRena, told Radio New Zealand it was carrying timber, milk powder, meat andfish.

He said thecrew would have been familiar with the route it was taking, which started inSingapore and included ports in Australia as well as New Zealand before headingback to Sydney, a journey usually taking about six weeks.

The236-meter cargo ship Rena struck the Astrolabe Reef, about 12 nautical

 milesoff the coast near Tauranga Harbour, at around 2. 20 a.m. Wednesday

 and waslisting, said a statement from Maritime New Zealand (MNZ).

(Xinhua/ReutersPhoto)

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Japan to go ahead with whale hunt

Whalerswill have heightened security after last year's season was marred by clasheswith activists

guardian.co.uk,Associated Press in Tokyo, Tuesday 4 October 2011

Japanese whaling ship No. 3 Yushin Maru (left) and the Sea Shepherd's ship
the Bob Barker collide last year. Whalers will have more security to fend off
activists this year. Photograph: AP

Japan willgo ahead with its whaling me in the Antarctic later this year under heightenedsecurity to fend off activists who have vowed to disrupt the annual hunt, thecountry's fisheries minister said Tuesday.

Japan'swhale hunts have become increasingly tense in recent years because of clasheswith the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. The most recent expedition was cutshort after several high-seas confrontations, and it was unclear whether thehunt would be held at all this year.

Butfisheries minister Michihiko Kano said that measures would be taken to ensurethe whalers' safety, and that the hunt would go ahead. It is expected to beginin December.

"Weintend to carry out the research after enhancing measures to assure that it isnot obstructed," he said.

Commercialwhaling has been banned since 1986, but Japan conducts whale hunts in theAntarctic and the north-western Pacific under an exception that allows limitedkills for research purposes.

Japan'sgovernment claims the research is needed to provide data on whale populationsso that the international ban on commercial whaling can be re-examined – and,Japan hopes, lifted – based on scientific studies.

Opponentssay the programme is a guise for keeping Japan's dwindling whaling industryalive. The Sea Shepherd group, which is already rallying to block the upcominghunt, has been particularly dogged in its efforts to stop the kills.

Last year'sseason was marred by repeated incidents with Sea Shepherd vessels, one of whichsank after colliding with a Japanese ship. The boat's captain, New ZealanderPeter Bethune, was later arrested when he boarded a whaling ship from a jetski, and brought back to Japan for trial.

He wasconvicted of assault, vandalism and three other charges and given a suspendedprison term. Bethune has since returned to New Zealand.

Sea Shepherdrecently announced that it is calling its effort to obstruct the Decemberexpedition "Operation Divine Wind" – a reference to the"kamikaze" suicide missions carried out by the Japanese military inWorld War II.

Thoughvilified by anti-whaling organisations around the world, the government'sstrong pro-whaling position has the support of the Japanese public, accordingto an AP poll conducted in July and August which found that 52% favour it, with35% neutral and 13% opposed.

Once acommon item on school lunch menus, whale meat can be found in stores andrestaurants in Japan. But, because of its relatively high price, it isgenerally regarded as a gourmet food by the public.