Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Turning tides: climate change watershed prompts reevaluation of nuclear energy and deep-sea mining

Image credit: The Metals Company

From Modern Diplomacy by James Borton

The continuously evolving misleading narratives, which inaccurately depict the risks associated with nuclear energy, share notable similarities with ongoing polarized debates surrounding deep-sea mining.


Energy policy and environmentalism have long proven to be ideological battlegrounds, with frequent rifts over offshore drilling, gas pipelines, wind farms, hydropower, and nuclear energy standing as divisive roadblocks in a widening partisan debate.

Amidst the persisting climate protests targeting the combustion of fossil fuels and worldwide shift toward sustainable energy alternatives, a paradox emerges in the current focus of Greenpeace activism on deep-sea mining.
Namely, their intervention with research vessels engaged in authorized scientific data exploration supervised by the International Seabed Authority raises questions.
This form of protest appears at odds with the overarching goals of the environmental movement, which advocates for the adoption of renewable energy sources.
The situation also draws striking parallels to historical protests against nuclear plants.

Opponents of deep-sea mining, akin to early critics of nuclear energy, often rely on speculative concerns and employ fear-driven communication when discussing potential environmental consequences.
This approach hinders the overarching goal of advancing renewable solutions to combat climate change.
The profound effects of climate change, combined with actions by nations possessing abundant energy resources, such as England and Germany back-sliding toward more coal-fired plants and expansive gas export terminals, are reshaping the risk landscape associated with nuclear energy and deep-sea mining.

The sea change in attitudes toward low-carbon energy consumption commenced more than a decade ago, spurred by environmentalist advocates like Ted Nordhaus and Michael Schellenger, co-founders of the Breakthrough Institute—a Bay Area think tank that initially championed the adoption of nuclear energy.
Schellenberger, a fervent proponent, played a pivotal role in the ‘Saving Diablo Canyon’ campaign, focused on preserving a nuclear reactor responsible for approximately nine percent of California’s electricity.
Efforts to rebuild trust in nuclear energy have involved advancements in safety technologies, improved regulatory frameworks, and the development of newer, safer reactor designs.
Those who had once contributed to an atmosphere of mistrust and who initially embraced a scorched earth ethos have begun to recant their positions, prompted by significant advances in the development of next generation reactors.

The surge in climate change awareness even brought activists like Carol Browner, the former head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under President Clinton, to the forefront.
In an interview with Forbes magazine, she stated, “Several years ago I had to reevaluate my thinking because if you agree with the world’s leading climate scientists that global warming is real and must be addressed immediately then you cannot simply oppose clean, low-carbon energy sources.”

The continuously evolving misleading narratives, which inaccurately depict the risks associated with nuclear energy, share notable similarities with the ongoing polarized debates surrounding deep-sea mining.
Remarkably, the scientific discussion supporting deep-sea mining emerged prominently in 2016 when the Pew Seabed Mining Project advocated for science-based precautionary regulations to protect underwater ecosystems.
Simultaneously, numerous scientific publications advocated for nuclear energy as a vital and secure remedy to address the challenges posed by climate change.

Patania II, a seabed mining robot, is lowered into the Pacific Ocean to begin a descent to the sea floor.
photo : GSR / Reuters
 
However, the public’s ignorance of advances in upstream energy mineral and power generation has been exacerbated by social media misinformation campaigns and media coverage of protests.
The general alarmism that once replaced reasoned conversation and scientific knowledge around nuclear has similarly extended to seabed mining.
Unbothered by such domestic and international concerns, China has established itself as the front-runner in the nuclear reactor construction industry, with 21 reactors under construction, as the US attempts to revive its nuclear industry, mostly through the development of new, safer, smaller modular reactor designs.
Author, environmentalist, entrepreneur, and economist Paul Hawken sees this a different way, stating via email “These issues are entirely different.
Those who lack knowledge of marine ecology and ecosystems will oppose ocean mining, and opposition to nuclear power is predicated on cycle analysis and fear.”

Deep-sea minerals, particularly nodules containing nickel, cobalt, copper and manganese, present a level of complexity similar to terrestrial deposits.
It’s crucial to acknowledge that not all deposits and extraction methods are equal.
Nodules, rock formations about the size of potatoes, have advanced the most in terms of commercial viability.
This progress is attributed to both their economic potential and the relatively lower environmental impact associated with their collection.

While some environmentalists express concerns about the potential impact on marine ecosystems, others can see a potential for responsible use of nodules to drive the energy transition.
Dr.
Gregory Stone, chief ocean scientist for The Metals Company, an advocate for ocean conservation and co-founder of the Ocean Health Index, claims that the emerging scientific evidence from the Company’s Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) and peer-reviewed studies, leads him to believe that if deep-sea mining is done responsibly, “it is by far the best and most viable option for meeting the base metal demands of the world in the coming decades.”

The Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), an area that spans more than 4.5 million square kilometers, situated between Hawaii and Mexico, is the most researched area under the International Seabed Authority.
According to Pew Trusts, the energy-rich expanse still requires more research on oceanographic, biological, and ecological linkages between deep-ocean habitats and the rest of the ocean and planet.
The knowledge base is well on its way: the ISA and UNESCO Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS) now house the largest repository of deep-ocean data ever compiled from institutions worldwide.

As countries increasingly look to the ocean as a frontier for economic development, plans to utilize critical minerals from the deep-seabed are gathering pace.
The transition to a green economy has brought about an urgency now seen in Norway announcing its intention to open nearly 108,600 square miles of its deep-sea territory for mineral exploration and environmental impact assessment.
“We need minerals to succeed in the green transition,” emphasized Terje Aasland, Norway’s Minister of Petroleum and Energy, in a government statement. 
He highlighted the importance of Norway facilitating a new ocean industry, asserting that no other country is better situated to responsibly and sustainably lead in the management of such resources.
But drawing parallels to the widespread anti-nuclear protests observed in the United States, the Deep-sea Conservation Coalition, has amplified its strong stance against seabed mining in the Arctic.
This advocacy has sparked a wave of opposition from various organizations, including the World Wildlife Fund, which is actively challenging Norway through its ‘No Deep-seabed Mining’ initiative.

Since the 1970s, nations like the US, Canada, Germany, France, and Japan have been collecting baseline data and developing the necessary technology.
For the first time since, TMC subsidiary Nauru Ocean Resources Inc.’s (NORI), piloted an integrated nodule collection system.
Findings have challenged the prevailing belief that seafloor plumes generated during the extraction process rise into the water column and travel considerable distances via ocean currents.
These disclosures directly counter the claims of protestor groups, which erroneously assert that the release of plumes—containing sediment and other materials—can elevate water turbidity.
Furthermore, a plume study conducted jointly by MIT/Scripps, utilizing field data acquired during collector trials conducted by Belgian contractor GSR, also challenges activist speculation and misleading media narratives.
The study indicates that 92-98% of sediment mobilized at the seafloor does not rise more than 2 meters above the seafloor—a finding starkly at odds with assumptions made by anti-seabed mining campaigners.
“Greenpeace once called for more science but have since turned their back on evidence-based decision-making and are of the view that their voice is the only one that matters, superseding those of all the International Seabed Authority’s (ISA) 169 members,” claims The Metals Company Chairman and CEO, Gerard Barron.

At the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP) in Dubai, participants criticized the slow pace and depth of progress on climate change, highlighting The Paris Agreement’s failure to limit global temperatures and the urgent need to act on a global scale because of the mounting severe droughts, heat waves, and escalating floods making frequent headlines.Bottom of Form The UN deserves credit for popularizing the concept of net-zero goals.
This initiative has prompted environmentalists and several non-government organizations (NGOs) to reevaluate their views, emphasizing the adoption of scientific advancements and emerging technologies as essential tools for to achieving net zero emissions.

In support of the alignment of parallels drawn between nuclear energy and deep- sea mining adoption among non-government organizations (NGOs), consider the following example: Patrick Moore, a former director and founding member of Greenpeace, strongly disagreed with the organization’s anti-nuclear energy position.
“Nuclear energy is the safest of all the electricity technologies we have,” Dr.
Patrick Moore told NewsNation’s “Special Report.” Despite all the protests and noise about nuclear energy, Moore, like the author Michael Schellenberger, posits that technological innovation, if allowed to continue and grow, will remedy environmental issues as outlined in his iconic book, Apocalypse Never: Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All.

Most assuredly, the public requires an unbiased evaluation of both costs and benefits, free from corporate bias and alarmist media coverage.
The emerging consensus among well-informed environmentalists is evident: the imperative for low-carbon energy technologies as an urgent and essential response to the climate crisis.
Michael Lodge, the secretary general of the International Seabed Authority, the UN-mandated mining regulator, is cognizant of the urgency to explore new technologies and to identify the needed transition to critical minerals required for the manufacture of batteries that will be key to the reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

During last fall’s program held at the Washington D.C.-based Wilson Center, Lodge, delved into the ISA’s commitment to embracing a precautionary stance in safeguarding the marine environment against potential adverse effects of mining activities.
The presentation reiterated ISA’s goal of collecting essential scientific data to share with the constellation of stakeholders comprised of public, and private, as well as national, international actors, including non-government organizations.
The emphasis on science–driven explorations underscores the organization’s dedication to fostering a sustainable global environment.
Recent advancements in reactor technology have underscored the importance of safety measures, especially in the aftermath of incidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima.
The recognition of nuclear power as a low-carbon energy source is gradually reshaping perceptions within various environmental groups.
This evolving perspective anticipates that ongoing technological progress, with a focused emphasis on minimizing impacts on ocean ecosystems, could pave the way for increased acceptance of deep-sea mining for metal-rich nodules.

These altered views on nuclear energy provide valuable lessons for the deep-sea debate.
Emphasizing the importance of a nuanced and evidence-based discussion, they highlight the need for an open dialogue and collaboration between scientists, industry stakeholders, and environmental advocates in shaping responsible supply chains and resource policies.
A promising trend is the proactive involvement of companies, governments, and civil society in global deliberations aimed at establishing a regulatory structure for deep-sea mining.
While there is a consensus on the imperative for greener technologies and a sustainable future, a resounding demand for research and caution in the face of oceanic mining persists.

“Deep-sea mining has not yet occurred but will be heavily regulated once it begins.
This presents an opportunity to establish adaptive management for environmental protection and for the establishment of green technologies for mining and mineral processing,” claims Dr.
James Hein, a retired senior scientist at the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and a member of the Deep Ocean Mining and Environmental Studies (DOMES) team, the original impact studies conducted by the US in the Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ) throughout the 70s and 80s.
Precautionary regulatory guidelines and a dedication to international collaboration are prompting a noteworthy discussion within an informed environmentalist community.

The International Seabed Authority (ISA) boasts nearly 100 Observer parties, with approximately half comprising non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that actively engage in ISA negotiations.
This unique scenario allows NGOs to endorse initiatives prioritizing cooperative endeavors in ocean science diplomacy.
Such efforts encompass collaboration with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), all of which provide crucial scientific guidance.
“I expect that some opponents of deep-sea mining may adjust their way of thinking and accept a certain ecological impact of deep-sea mining to avoid worse impacts from other activities, especially because in international waters governance, safe supply chains, and resource security may be easier to achieve” asserts Dr.
Andrea Koschinsky of Constructor University in Bremen.

Scientists are calling for increased scientific data gathered from explorations in the resource-rich CCZ.
However, just how much data would be sufficient has not been specified.
On the contrary, over 300 research campaigns have occurred in the CCZ since interest in the area began in the 1960s.
Exploration contractors alone have invested over $2 billion in research in this area.
All data from these endeavors is publicly accessible through the Regulator and UNESCO databases.
The Metals Company (TMC), a Canadian-based company, has already completed an extensive decade-long environmental impact assessment to quantify impacts to the environment from nodule collection.
While there remain some gaps in environmental knowledge, there are many studies conducted by a coalition of leading researchers on the measurement of sediment plumes associated with collector vehicles in the deep-sea.
These tractor-sized vehicles sent to the bottom of the sea will vacuum up the nodules.

The findings reveal that ocean nodules, as opposed to land mining for battery metals, lead to substantial environment benefit reducing CO2 emissions to produce battery grade chemicals by over 70% on average, a 94% decrease in stored carbon at risk, and essentially eliminating solid processing waste, according to independent reports.
Nauru Ocean Resources Inc. (NORI), a subsidiary of TMC, is bolstering transparency in deep-sea mining research by integrating novel data streaming during deep-sea operations.
These streams provide a near real time view of the integrated collection system and environmental effects of its activity.
One would be hard pressed to find this level of access to any mine on land.

The distribution of research data across explorers, along with workshops held with scientists and NGOs, may prove instructive in closing the loop on scientific knowledge available, impact quantification, and the ability to assess whether commercial activity should move forward.
Even Avatar director and oceanographer, James Cameron, believes harvesting for raw materials on the seabed is ‘less wrong’ than environmental damage caused on land.
Certain marine scientists and their research findings affirm the environmental impact on the deep-sea is comparatively lower than that of land-based mining.
An MIT study found that the sediment plume kicked up by mining harvester vehicles did not disperse as widely as others thought it would.

The lessons learned from the nuclear energy debate suggest that proactive engagement with stakeholders, transparent communication, and a commitment to continuous technology innovations are essential components of responsible resource development.
These aspects are explicitly present in deep-sea mineral exploration and future commercial collection.
With the increasing demand among the public for green technologies to power the world, deep-sea mining offers a pathway towards a net-zero transition.
In the midst of shifting perspectives and controversies surrounding both nuclear and deep-sea mining, there is substantial potential to rely on data versus emotion, to chart the optimal strategy that weaves together scientific research, stringent regulation, and international collaboration, laying the foundation for a sustainable future.

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Monday, March 18, 2024

Scientists confirm underwater mountains harbor abundant life off Chile’s coast


An international group of scientists, led by Dr. Javier Sellanes of the Universidad Católica del Norte, may have discovered more than 100 new species living on seamounts off the coast of Chile.
The recent Schmidt Ocean Institute expedition resulted in identifying deep-sea corals, glass sponges, sea urchins, amphipods, squat lobsters, and other species likely new to science.
 


The team explored seamounts along the Nazca and Salas y Gómez Ridge, both inside and outside Chile’s jurisdiction, to collect data that could support the designation of an international high-seas marine protected area.

Salas y Gomez Ridge with the GeoGarage platform (STRM bathymetry)
 
The Salas y Gómez Ridge is a 2,900-kilometer-long underwater mountain chain comprising more than 200 seamounts that stretch from offshore Chile to Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island.
The majority of the ridge exists outside national jurisdiction.
Additionally, the scientists explored two of Chile’s marine protected areas, the Juan Fernandez and Nazca-Desventuradas marine parks.
 
During the expedition, scientists used an underwater robot, capable of descending to depths of 4,500 meters, to collect data from ten seamounts that will be used to advance Chile’s marine protection efforts.
The scientists found that each seamount hosted distinct ecosystems, many of which are vulnerable, including thriving deep-sea coral reefs and sponge gardens.
The scientists are analyzing the physiology and genetics of the specimens they suspect are new to science to confirm if they are new species.
 
 
Experts on board the ship mapped 52,777 square kilometers of seafloor, resulting in the discovery of four seamounts within Chilean waters.
The fourth seamount, the tallest mountain at 3,530 meters, was explored for the first time, mapped, and unofficially named Solito by the science team.
“We far exceeded our hopes on this expedition. You always expect to find new species in these remote and poorly explored areas, but the amount we found, especially for some groups like sponges, is mind-blowing,” said Sellanes.
“These thriving and healthy ecosystems indicate that the Nazca-Desventuradas and Juan Fernández Marine Parks effectively protect delicate marine habitats.” 
 

A second expedition along the Salas y Gomez Ridge will begin aboard research vessel Falkor (too) on 24 Feb.

Underwater dives will be livestreamed on Schmidt Ocean Institute’s YouTube channel as scientists explore areas deeper than 600 meters depth for the first time.
Schmidt Ocean Institute will be operating in the Southeast Pacific, exploring the waters off Peru and Chile throughout 2024.
 
“Full species identification can take many years, and Dr. Sellanas and his team have an incredible number of samples from this amazingly beautiful and little-known biodiversity hotspot,” said Schmidt Ocean Institute Executive Director Dr. Jyotika Virmani.
“ Schmidt Ocean Institute is a partner with the Nippon Foundation – Nekton Ocean Census Program, which has set a target of finding 100,000 new marine species in the next ten years and, once identified, these new species will be a part of that.” 
 

 
Links :

Sunday, March 17, 2024

The world according to fish

 (Elastic II projection)
Here are the connections that can teleport fish (missing sea connections)
And green for the Panama and Suez canals

Links :

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Women and the wind: crossing the Atlantic in a 50-year-old catamaran

Three women ignite the flames of curiosity and adventure which lay dormant within so many of us, by deepening our understanding of the synergy between nature and humanity—and by doing so radically, through a voyage across the North Atlantic on Mara Noka, a 50-year-old wooden catamaran.
 
From FieldMag by Ellen Eberhardt
 
In 2022 three women crossed the Atlantic Ocean on a wooden catamaran to document plastic pollution and find adventure, here's how

In June 2022, Alizé Jireh and Lærke Heilmann were at Red Beard Farm in Wilmington, North Carolina buying 15 pounds of sweet potatoes, onions, tomatoes, and other sea-worthy produce.
They even got to pull some vegetables straight from the earth, a memory that brought Heilmann comfort when cooking with them in a tight galley kitchen a month later, miles away from land, with nothing green in sight.
 
 Photo by Alizé Jireh
 
At the farm, Heilmann and Jireh were completing one task in a long line of chores to prepare for a voyage like neither had embarked on in their lives.
Instead of taking the veggies home to a refrigerator, they brought them back to a 50-year-old catamaran called Mara Noka, and the boat's owner and captain, Kiana Weltzien.
The three women had been living on the vessel for a month, preparing the ship—and themselves—to sail across the Atlantic Ocean from Beaufort, North Carolina, to Flores, Portugal for a project called Women and the Wind. 
But they had to wait for the right conditions.
 

 From left: Kiana Weltzien, Lærke Heilmann, and Alizé Jireh

When the right winds did strike, Weltzien, Heilmann, and Jireh planned to make the crossing in 30 days.
They would document the journey in order to study and highlight plastic pollution throughout the Gulf Stream and to inspire others, especially women, to undertake momentous journeys of their own.


Photo by Alizé Jireh

The first roots of the idea came up in 2017, when Weltzien discovered Mara Noka floating in a Panamanian bay.
She bought the boat on a whim, upending plans for a solo backpacking trip through South America.
She'd already been traveling the world by boat for more than two years after quitting a career in real estate; she had been exposed to life at sea first by a family she worked as an au pair for and then again as a crew member on a 70-foot-long Polynesian voyaging canoe.
Growing up between Brazil and Florida exposed her to various water sports, but it was only after those formative years as an adult that Weltzien embraced a dream of becoming a fortified, professional sailor.
Buying Mara Nokawas another dream realized—now she was the captain of her own ship.
 
The Clean Ocean Project is a non-governmental organization based on Fuerteventura, Canary Islands. It was founded in 2002 by Wim Geirnaert with a simple approach: everybody is part of the problem - and the solution.
For the last 20 years, the organization has removed tons of trash from beaches all over Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Morocco, Brazil, El Salvador, and Belgium.
Besides cleaning the beaches, the goal of the Clean Ocean Project is to educated people about the issue of ocean waste and create awareness towards more sustainable solutions.

Weltzien was living and sailing on Mara Noka in January 2020 when she arrived in the Canary Islands, where she met Heilmann at a party.
Beyond a shared passion for the ocean and its care, both women spoke Portuguese, and both had a fake tooth; coincidences that cemented a fast bond.
Heilmann was born and raised in a hippie commune in Denmark, where she spent summers sailing with family.
While she wasn't particularly interested in the sport, she grew passionate about the ocean, and eventually, she moved to the Canary Islands after falling in love with the surf and the slower way of life.
At the time of their meeting, Heilmann was working as a Project Coordinator for the Clean Ocean Project, an organization dedicated to beach clean-ups and ocean conservation education worldwide.

It wasn't long after that first meeting that they began dreaming of a transatlantic voyage drawn from a desire to shine a light on plastic pollution in the ocean and, of course, a natural call toward adventure.
The first step would be to repair Mara Noka—the old boat required lots of TLC after years at sea.


Photo by Alizé Jireh
 
"I thought I was going to die on this trip.
I was very certain of that."


Photo by Lærke Heilmann

When the pandemic hit, dreams of going anywhere came to a screeching halt worldwide, but it gave Weltzien and Heilmann more time to plan.
Finally, in February of 2021, Weltzien took Mara Noka out of the water and into a boatyard in St.
Augustine, Florida, where her grandmother lives.
Heilmann joined her four months later, and they planned to repair Mara Noka and set sail in a few weeks.

In actuality, the repairs took a full year.
With no prior experience in shipbuilding besides Weltzien's knowledge of mixing epoxy, the pair trialed and errored their way through the process, documenting it through photos and reels on the Women and the Wind Instagram page.
Friends and family visited to help and offer advice, and one experienced shipbuilder shared his expertise, making occasional appearances to offer advice, sometimes sage, like "listen to the boat."
As they deconstructed the boat, they began to understand its structure, and rebuilt from there.

After a year of sanding, sawing, painting, and gluing in the hot Florida sun, in May 2022, Mara Noka was finally ready for the water, complete with a fresh coat of paint and a hand-carved nameplate on a repurposed blank of original Panamanian sour cedar decking.
At the end of the month, Mara Noka, Weltzien, and Heilmann sailed from St. Augustine to Beaufort, North Carolina, to prepare for their final departure and to pick up their third crew member, photographer and filmmaker Alizé Jireh.


Photo by Alizé Jireh

All while Weltzien and Heilmann were remaking Mara Noka, Jireh was keeping up over Instagram, and she became enchanted by the two women restoring a 50-year-old catamaran by hand.
Born and raised in the Dominican Republic, she too had spent her childhood around the water and had vivid dreams of sailing.
At 16, she started shooting documentary photo work and started traveling with it, eventually connecting with Weltzien while working at a production company in South Africa.
The two stayed in contact, and during a trip to St. Augustine in 2021, Weltzien invited her to the boatyard to check out the progress on Mara Noka.
Jireh was smitten with the whole operation.
Half a year later, Weltzien sent her a message asking if she'd not only like to come along for the voyage, but also capture the experience for a planned documentary.
With no prior sailing experience save those childhood dreams, Jireh responded with a resounding yes.
"For me, it was no question about it," she says.

With Mara Noka repaired and Jireh on board, the small crew spent most of the early summer waiting to set sail and growing accustomed to the boat, and each other.
For Weltzien, who had been happily sailing solo on Mara Noka for years, adjusting to traveling with others would be one of the most challenging aspects of the journey ahead.
"I'm a solo sailor," Weltzien explains.
"So to sail with people, I needed a purpose. And the purpose is to spread this message of 'if we can do anything, you can do anything.'"
Although Heilmann and Jireh were equally dedicated to spreading their intended message, simply surviving the trip proved the tallest hurdle.
"I thought that it would be my last time on earth," Jireh says.
"I thought I was going to die on this trip. I was very certain of that."
"To sail with people, I needed a purpose. And the purpose is to spread this message of 'if we can do anything, you can do anything.'"


Photo by Alizé Jireh

On June 27, 2022, Mara Noka officially set sail.
For the next 30 days, the women went without technology, the only connection to the outside world via a satellite phone and a friend, who posted updates to Instagram on behalf of the crew.
Even Jireh, who kept her camera rolling for the better part of the voyage, waited until landfall to review more than 100 hours of footage captured during the trip.
For 30 days, it was just Weltzien, Heilmann, Jireh, Mara Noka, and the sea.

In the beginning, the ocean welcomed them with calm conditions, but still, each crew member battled personal challenges.
Jireh fell seasick almost immediately and remained so for two weeks.
Heilmann tested positive for COVID just a few days in.
And Weltzien was navigating living with two inexperienced sailors on a boat and in an ocean that had previously brought her seclusion and peace.

The women adjusted to their new reality slowly.
"I feel like we didn't talk much for those first two weeks," Heilmann says.
"We were all in our little zone."
They remained distant throughout the beginning of the journey, in part as a natural reaction to a new lifestyle, and then later they were forced to due to two weeks of bad weather.
But there were moments of connection, too.
They shared all their meals, a ritual that remained with them through the duration of the voyage.
"One thing I think we always did together—except for during the peak of the storm when [Heilmann and Jireh] were my prisoners locked below in the dungeon—was eat together," Weltzien explains.


Photo by Lærke Heilmann


Photo by Alizé Jireh

On the seventh day, the winds started to pick up and were followed by weeks of rain, 10-20 foot waves, torn sails, and gear tossed overboard.
The three women rotated between sleepless nights in water-soaked beds, sticky and wet from the constant saltwater leaking through the ½-inch plywood into their sleeping quarters.
Weltzien was often busy manning the boat in the swell, while Heilmann and Jireh rotated between helping with tasks on board and taking shelter in the cabin below, intimated by the full force of the weather.

Throughout it all, Jireh kept her Panasonic GH 5 camera rolling in 4K (between taking breaks to throw up).
Her equipment survived the trip, but barely.
"That shit dropped so many times," she says.
"The screen stopped working." Both Weltzien and Heilmann were impressed with Jireh's abilities to create in an environment that was literally shifting below her feet.
"It's so impressive having seen the other side," Heilmann says.
"Seeing her with her camera, throwing up."
To the crew, the camera started to develop a personality of its own, an electronic Wilson to their collective Tom Hanks.
"Being a tiny little speck of a boat in the middle of the ocean, seeing trash every day makes you realize that the trash is absolutely everywhere."


Photo by Alizé Jireh

Another constant was the trash they saw in the water.
Even out to sea, pieces of plastic would float by every day.
Between collecting what they could and their own gear lost during storms, it was hard not to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount going into and coming out of the sea.
"Being a tiny little speck of a boat in the middle of the ocean, seeing trash every day makes you realize that the trash is absolutely everywhere," Weltzien says.
They did what they could before, during, and after the voyage, fishing trash out of the ocean and participating in beach clean-ups when on land.
"You just have to focus on one solution to the problem at a time," says Heilmann.

On their 19th day at sea, just over halfway through the voyage, the sun reappeared with a small swell and light winds.
To celebrate, the crew broke out a bottle of red and their lingerie, a ritual they had planned before setting sail.
Buoyed by the shifting seas, amidst clothing and blankets hung to dry, they looked ahead to the remainder of the voyage in good spirits.




Photos by Alizé Jireh

And the ocean seemed to reward them for surviving those initial trials; the remaining 10 days held with good weather, and after surviving the turbulent seas together, they experienced its bounty.
They talked more, slept on the deck under the night skies, listened to music, read, journaled, and above all else, indulged in the vastness of their surroundings and the lessons of life on the water.
Dolphins, whales, and seabirds paid visits.
Heilmann caught her first fish, a mahi-mahi, and spent two days crafting a pirate flag emblazoned with a skeleton mermaid.
Weltzien moved back to her normal sleeping quarters from the 12-inch wide bench in the galley she'd been using, and Jireh finally managed to keep food down.

One day out from landfall, all three women anticipated their arrival with a flood of emotions.
"I hate arriving," Weltzien says.
"It's exciting. It's great, it's beautiful, but it's just like it's your bubble bursting. It's your reality that you thought was real for so long. Just poof."
During their month at sea, the boat and their life aboard it had been a departure from the burdens of modern living, a gateway to complete symbiosis with nature.

Yes, certain parts of the voyage had been extremely challenging, but they had all consciously agreed to the perils the Atlantic might present.
Life at sea was expansive and vast, and their lifestyle reflected the same.
Reaching land, where rigid thoughts, schedules, and structures rule life suddenly seemed more daunting than 15-foot waves.
"Everything has to be explained in words that are somehow not enough to explain what you felt," Heilmann shares.
"It's very overwhelming."






Photos by Alizé Jireh

On the night of July 25, 2022, cell phones buzzing with incoming messages from the past month, Mara Noka cruised past other moored boats and dropped anchor in a harbor off Flores, an island in Portugal's Azores archipelago.
The voyage was complete.

For the next month, the crew debriefed while sailing around the Azores together, and waited for the right conditions to deliver Heilmann and Jireh to their departing flights.
After goodbyes, Weltzien sailed by herself to Brazil, a crossing that lasted 43 days, realizing along the way that she missed their company.

Today, the three women are spread between Brazil, the Canary Islands, and the US, but led by Jireh, they're editing and producing the Women and the Wind documentary.
They plan to overlay Jireh's ethereal footage with journal entries from the trip, and they've also set up a Kickstarter to help meet production costs.

Weltzien, Heilmann, and Jireh are still processing the voyage.
They share what they can put into words about how it changed them.
"I feel a lot of little things that maybe mattered before, I really don't think they matter at all," Heilmann explains "I think I've never done anything that long with so many uncertainties and so many reasons that you shouldn't. And it feels really powerful."
 
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Friday, March 15, 2024

High waves, high claims: new study on container losses


Credit: Gard Club

From Safety4Sea by Kunal Pathak, Team Leader, Claims, Arendal; Siddharth Mahajan, Loss Prevention Manager Asia, Singapore; Helge A. Nordahl, Vice President, Analytics, Oslo; Are Solum, Team Leader, Claims, Arendal, of Gard P&I Club explore the subject of container losses, in relation to insurance claims. 

In a comprehensive new study, we delve into the impact of weather on container stack collapses.
Our findings show the impact of progressively increasing wave height, the quantified risk of high waves, and variance in weather exposure among different operators.
Hopefully, the study sets the stage for a deeper dialogue within the industry about mitigating the impact of adverse weather on container safety.

As the world economy develops, the volume of containerized trade increases steadily.
Last year, the global container shipping fleet grew by almost four per cent according to UNCTAD, and in Gard’s P&I portfolio, the segment has increased by as much as 16 per cent over the past five years.
It currently makes up 18 per cent of our insured vessels.

With more container shipping comes also a higher risk of casualties.
Certain incidents, such as stack collapses or containers lost at sea, are monitored closely as they tend to be relatively more severe.
Container losses also have the IMO’s attention, and they are working on making reporting of lost containers mandatory.
Meanwhile, insurers and other key stakeholders are involved in detailed work such as the Top Tier project to investigate the causes of stack collapse and seek solutions.

Data analytics

To contribute to the industry understanding and to help prevent losses, we have studied all cases of stack collapse where Gard was involved as a P&I insurer.
These cases occurred between 2016-2021 and we have looked at the weather data to make sure we understand the factors contributing to these incidents.
More specifically, we have combined Gard claims data with geographical and meteorological data from Windward which includes estimated wave height and wind strength on an hourly basis.
When it comes to waves, several measures are common.
For this study, we have used the maximum wave height.

Our claims data includes a wide selection of cases, both when it comes to severity, vessel size, and geographical location.
For each claim we have collected meteorological data for the incident date as well as the six days leading up to the day of the incident.
This allows us to analyse how the weather progressively worsened over a period of time.
Credit: Gard Club

Impact of vessel’s size

Weather needs to be seen in context with ship’s design and size, of course, although we do see that container stack collapses happen across different size segments.
This just underscores the fact that there are usually several causative factors involved in these incidents, as highlighted in our article Why do containership stacks collapse and who is liable?

Analysing incident numbers relative to number of vessels in our portfolio provides valuable insights on claims frequency across different size segments, which can range from feeders (less than 3,000 teu) to ultra-large container vessels (ULCVs) exceeding 15,000 teu where the stack heights can exceed 10 high on deck.
Despite a higher number of incidents on smaller vessels, there is a clear correlation between incident frequency (or likelihood) and vessel size, as depicted in the graph below.
The 6-year average claims frequency for stack collapses on feeder vessels is 1%, whereas for ULCVs, it rises to 9%.

Impact of progressively increasing wave height

When looking at a 7-day period before the incident, we noticed that on Day 1, vessels are on average experiencing wave heights of 2.5m, which corresponds to wind force 5 on the Beaufort scale.
The weather then progressively worsens, and this increase in wave height is more pronounced from Day 6 onwards.
The average wave height peaks on Day 7 at 6.5m which corresponds to gale force winds.
The duration for which the vessels were exposed to sea conditions with wave heights of 4m and above (corresponding to near gale force winds or stronger) was 72 hours.

We underline that these are average wave heights of all vessels that had a stack collapse incident.
If we look at each vessel separately, many of them were exposed to these conditions for a much longer duration of time.
During the 7-day period we examined (which is also shown in the graph below), the “incident zone” for majority of the incidents was a 24-hour window on the last day.

It was therefore evident that the vessels experienced average wave heights which progressively increased by two and a half times during the 7-day period.
Interestingly, the incidents did not always happen when the wave height was the highest, but after the weather had started to subside.
This might be partly due to the fact that the time of reporting the incident to Gard may not always coincide with the time of the incident itself.

 
Average maximum wave heights during the 7 days leading up to the incident
Credit: Gard Club

Higher waves – higher risks

To further study the exposure to high waves, we looked at vessels that are exposed to a wave height of 7m (corresponding to Bf 8 gale force winds) or above.
An observation of interest was that while vessels involved in incidents spent only 5% of their time in wave heights exceeding 7 meters during the incident year, half of all incidents occurred during such conditions.
Analysing the maximum wave heights experienced by vessels on the day of the incident, as shown in the graph below, reveals a similar pattern.
Essentially, despite spending 95% of their time in calmer waters, the relatively small percentage spent in adverse conditions significantly amplifies the risk of incidents, potentially up to 20 times higher, as indicated by our study.

Another finding we had was that among the vessels that had a stack collapse incident, the share of vessels exposed to such high waves increased by almost 12 times from day 1 to day 7.
This suggests that these vessels may not have been able to avoid such heavy weather in spite of the advanced weather routeing tools available.

Credit: Gard Club
*This chart shows the maximum wave height experienced by the vessels on the day of the incident, whereas the previous graph showed the average of the maximum wave heights to which the vessels were exposed over a 7-day span.

Examining the global container fleet, roughly 3.4 per cent are exposed to such weather at any given time.
Interestingly, among various size segments, the new Panamax 1 segment (8,000 – 12,000 teu) appears to have a higher exposure to wave heights of 7 meters and above compared to any other size category.
This trend is also evident for wave heights around 4 meters.

Differing risk profiles

The variation in exposure to adverse weather is not only limited to different size segments in our container fleet.
From our study for the period 2016-2022 for the global container fleet, we also see that some container operators or owners are more exposed to the risk of adverse weather than others.

In essence, this discrepancy likely stems from differences in operators’ risk tolerance and the internally defined weather thresholds for the vessels.
However, the consequences of decisions made in the chartering or the operator’s desk are quite evident in the safety of the vessel and the cargo.

Reflections

Exposure to progressively worsening weather poses a clear risk, and our studies highlight two crucial aspects in this regard.
The first involves the duration of exposure, while the second concerns weather thresholds, such as maximum wave height for a vessel, influenced by factors like stability, stack height, and physical condition of the securing equipment.
Based on our study findings there are key questions to be considered by the various stakeholders working in the liner industry.
 
Conflicting priorities on weather thresholds

Does the understanding of the weather limiting factors, such as maximum wind and wave height for a voyage, vary among different stakeholders, and if so, why?

Conflicting priorities may arise between a commercial operator and a vessel’s master regarding voyage routing.
While a master might prefer a slightly longer route with less exposure to adverse weather, a commercial operator might prioritize time and fuel savings, potentially pushing the limits.
Additionally, we’ve noted that routeing advice to a vessel could vary based on whether their principal is a charterer or owner.
Another variable to consider when determining weather thresholds is the vessel’s stability, which may be different from the loading computer calculations, given the misdeclaration of weights and/or a mismatch in stowage location.
 
Suitable tools for complex rolling phenomena

Do seafarers have access to suitable digital / automated tools for evaluating the risk of intricate phenomena like resonant, synchronous, and parametric rolling?

The term “adverse weather” is subjective to seafarers.
Often, advice on mitigating the risk is either oversimplified (by recommending avoidance of adverse weather altogether) or overly complicated (by suggesting calculations for resonant, synchronous, and parametric roll risks based largely on estimates).
While assessing the influence of weather on a vessel’s motions may seem straightforward in theory, it is much more challenging for seafarers in practice, due to numerous unknowns and estimations.
 
Slackening of lashings in heavy weather

Whether there is indeed a progressive deterioration of the lashing efficacy that leads to failure beyond a certain time period?

The constant motion of a vessel in heavy seas can exert loads on container stacks, leading to the potential loosening of lashings.
The loosening process can start early in heavy weather conditions, especially if the ship is navigating through rough seas for an extended period.
In theory, routine lashing checks may seem as an appropriate preventive measure, but in practice, this could pose safety concerns, as the crew would then be exposed to adverse weather during lashing checks.
This risk would be even greater onboard larger vessels where there are a lot more lashings to be checked.
 
Tighter weather routeing for vessels with deteriorated securing equipment

Should weather routeing considerations be tightened for vessels with deteriorated container sockets and lashing eyes?

Experience shows that condition of lashing and securing equipment degrades over time due to usage and inadequate maintenance.
It is no surprise that stack collapse incident investigations often emphasize poorly maintained lashing and securing equipment as contributing factors.
In fact, corroded sockets and lashing eyes rank among the top 3 findings in Gard’s condition survey data for container ships.
Despite these issues, containers continue to be loaded in affected slots, and repairs are postponed until drydock for commercial reasons.
Our recommendation is of course that affected slots be taken out of service until repairs are carried out, but from a pure routeing perspective, weather thresholds might need to be adjusted for such vessels.
We understand that a few liner operators already have such procedures in place on this for both owned and chartered in tonnage.
 
Impact of weather on cargo securing inside a container

To what extent can the securing of cargoes inside containers endure movement caused by adverse weather?

Prolonged exposure of the vessel to rough weather could lead to deterioration of cargo securing within the container, potentially leading to cargo breaking loose and shifting within the container.
This, in turn, adds additional forces on the container stack.
The ship’s crew lacks visibility and control over this aspect.
The solution involves engaging in dialogue with and educating shippers, along with implementing improved Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures.
 
Broadening KPIs for weather routeing

Should safe weather routeing and the avoidance of adverse weather be included as components of internal key performance indicators (KPIs)?

Modern digital tools make it much easier to assess a vessel’s or fleet’s exposure to weather over a specific timeframe.
This assessment not only helps a company determine if its vessels encountered weather conditions exceeding internally defined thresholds but also facilitates benchmarking against other vessels of similar size and on similar routes, whether under the same management/ownership or different.
Given that most liner operators already have dedicated teams focusing on vessel routing for efficiency and scheduling purposes, expanding their focus to include the aforementioned aspects could enhance safety.
 
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