Google now owns the Atlantic Ocean

Map of submarine cables with British Empire in 1902

source : Atlantic cables maps 

From Pulse by Sunil Tagare

I hate to say I called it but yes, I did about 5 years ago.

The idea was very simple. Instead of running 10 submarine cables across the Atlantic, how about creating 2 Guams in the Atlantic Ocean: one in Bermuda and one Azores with a loop and then aggregate a bunch of cables on both continents?

That would save about 70% of CAPEX and more importantly make the network far more resilient and increase security by creating loops within both the continents.

This was my idea long time ago.

In fact, when Google first announced the Nuvem cable, they had Bermuda as a landing party but not Azores. 

I wrote to them and urged them to add Azores which to their credit, they did almost immediately. 

 

 

pc: Google; First announcement of the Nuvem Cable

 

pc: OpenCables, Inc.; My vision of a trans-Atlantic network

I have to admit.

Google has not only embraced the concept but they have gone far beyond my own expectations.

They announced a bunch of cables recently called Americas Connect.

 

pc: Google; Note: Map not to scale. Azores not labeled--maybe I should draw the maps for them

 

pc: Google; They really need to change their graphics dude or is it their AI rebelling?

 

pc: Google

 

pc: Google

I think this is brilliant.

I think the brilliance is that they have connected Panama to the Atlantic Ocean which is connected to Chile and the US West Coast.

That changes everything for South America connectivity especially as it pertains to connectivity to Europe.

Also, this is the first time, the West Coast and the East Coast of the US can be reached directly by a submarine cable. This may go unnoticed but is very important in times of disaster recovery situations.

With this masterstroke, Google now owns the Atlantic Ocean.

No one else will be able to compete with them on price, latency, resilience, security or connectivity.

Which brings up an interesting question.

Will Google allow 3rd party cables to connect to their Bermuda and Azores cable stations?

Basically are they open cable landing stations?

I had a long talk with folks in Bermuda and Azores governments and both were non-committal about the Open CLS issue.

Will Google sell the Bermuda to Azores fibers along with the Open CLS?

I doubt it.

Google's complete control over the Atlantic will shape the future of the trans-Atlantic AI industry for decades to come.

It will be impossible for anyone else to recreate what they have done especially since they have Bermuda and Azores in their pockets -- just like Cable & Wireless milked Bermuda and Azores for decades.

Also, they are just getting started.

Wait for significant more cable announcements on this route -- which will make it harder and harder for anyone to replicate this.

Interestingly, when I visited the submarine cable museum in Lisbon, I saw the ancient telegraph cable maps.

Guess what?

Azores was the central point for all the cables coming in from North America before they got distributed to every country in Europe.

Just a fun fact for the submarine cable nerds.

The wave everyone thinks is AI

Matahi Drollet at Teahupo'o filmed by Manea Fabisch

 

Tereva David at Teahupo'o filmed by Manea Fabisch

Man lives alone on island for 33 years to ‘avoid talking to people’

From Surfer by Dashel Pierson

 

When Mauro Morandi’s catamaran broke down off Sardinia, he chose a different life and spent three decades alone on Budelli’s pink-sand island.

• Mauro Morandi lived alone on Budelli island for 33 years, avoiding society.
• He maintained the island’s ecology, educating visitors about its natural beauty.
• “I’m the living proof that a second, new life is possible,” Morandi once said.

The modern age.

Cellphones, social media, consumerism, politics, war, and so on.

It can be exhausting, at times, simply existing in the world today.

As Jack Kerouac wrote in Big Sur: “We all agree it’s too big to keep up with, that we’re surrounded by life, that we’ll never understand it, so we center it all in by swigging Scotch from the bottle and when it’s empty I run out of the car and buy another one, period.”

For one man, he had enough.

In 1989, Mauro Morandi sailed for the South Pacific, but he didn’t make it. Instead, his catamaran broke down, and he ended up on the small island of Budelli off the coast of Sardinia.

 

Isola de Budelli with the GeoGarage platform (IIM ENC)

 

He decided to stay.

Why? To “avoid talking to anyone.”

A former teacher, Morandi wound up living on the island for 33 years.

He stayed in an abandoned World War II shelter, as the sole inhabitant of Budelli.
Thus, he was dubbed the “Italian Robinson Crusoe.”
It just so happened that the island’s caretaker was about to retire, so when Morandi arrived, he took over.

He kept the island clean, keeping its iconic pink sand beaches pristine, and often taught day-trippers to Budelli about the native ecosystem.

“I’m so used to living in the middle of nature,” he told the Guardian. 

“What would I do back in Modena? Play cards and go to bars like other people in their 80s? Give over! The thought of going back to live in a society that treats nature badly is very distressing. Nature needs to be loved and respected.”

Eventually, Morandi’s hermetic dream came to an end, when the island became a national park, and he was evicted.

Morandi moved into a one-bedroom apartment on La Maddalena, a large island off Sardinia.

And following a fall, his health started deteriorating.

He struggled with life back in the real world after over three decades of isolation.

“I became so used to the silence. Now it’s continuous noise,” he said.
Then, in early 2025, he died at the age of 85.
“I’m the living proof that a second, new life is possible,” Morandi once said. 

“You can always start all over again, even if you’re over 80, because there are other things you can experience, a totally different world. I’m happy and I have rediscovered the pleasure of living the good life and enjoying everyday comforts.”
Rest in peace.

 

Links :

• GeoGarage blog : Meet the man who has lived alone on this island for 28 years

Saudi Arabia steps into the battle for control of the Red Sea

From The Shipping Brief 

Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea moment has arrived

Saudi Arabia has announced the formation of a new multinational maritime coalition aimed at protecting commercial shipping routes across the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Gulf of Aden, some of the most strategically important waterways in global trade.

The initiative reflects growing concerns over the vulnerability of maritime corridors that connect Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

The Red Sea route is a critical artery for energy shipments, container trade and supply chains, with thousands of vessels passing through the region each year to access the Suez Canal and wider international markets.

The announcement follows a summit held in Riyadh attended by representatives from 43 countries and the European Union.

Fourteen countries have so far committed to participating in the Saudi-led framework, including Egypt, Pakistan, Turkey and Sudan.

The coalition is expected to focus on three core areas: intelligence sharing, coordinated naval operations and maintaining freedom of navigation.

While details of the operational structure remain limited, the initiative suggests a greater willingness among regional powers to take a more active role in maritime security.

Why the Red Sea has become a strategic flashpoint

The formation of the coalition comes amid a period of heightened instability around key maritime chokepoints in the Middle East.

Since late 2023, attacks by Yemen’s Houthi movement on commercial vessels in and around the Red Sea have disrupted one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.

Several major shipping companies have diverted vessels away from the Bab al-Mandab Strait, opting instead for longer routes around the Cape of Good Hope to reduce security risks.

The Bab al-Mandab Strait, located between Yemen and Djibouti and Eritrea, is a narrow maritime passage connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.

Its strategic importance comes from its role as a gateway between the Indian Ocean and the Suez Canal, through which a significant share of global trade normally passes.

At the same time, wider regional tensions — particularly concerns surrounding Iran and the security of the Strait of Hormuz — have added further pressure on Middle Eastern energy routes.

The Strait of Hormuz remains the world’s most important oil transit chokepoint, with a significant proportion of global crude and liquefied natural gas exports passing through it.

Any prolonged disruption in the area could have major implications for energy markets.

Saudi Arabia’s energy security calculations

For Saudi Arabia, maritime security in the Red Sea has a direct connection to national energy strategy.

The kingdom has invested heavily in diversifying its export routes through the East-West Pipeline, also known as Petroline, which transports crude oil from fields in the east of the country to the Red Sea port of Yanbu.

This infrastructure provides Saudi Arabia with an alternative pathway for exporting crude without relying entirely on the Strait of Hormuz.

As geopolitical risks increase in the Gulf, the Red Sea has become increasingly important to Saudi Aramco’s ability to maintain reliable access to international markets.

Protecting shipping lanes in the region therefore serves not only broader international trade interests but also Saudi Arabia’s own economic and energy security objectives.

A new layer in regional maritime security

The Saudi-led coalition adds another dimension to existing international efforts to secure Red Sea shipping.

The United States launched Operation Prosperity Guardian in late 2023 to coordinate maritime protection efforts in response to attacks on commercial vessels.

The European Union also established Operation Aspides, a defensive naval mission designed to help protect merchant shipping and ensure freedom of navigation.

The emergence of a Saudi-led initiative suggests a broader shift toward regional ownership of maritime security.

While international naval deployments remain important, Gulf and Red Sea states are increasingly seeking a stronger role in managing risks in their surrounding waters.
What this means for global trade

The security of the Red Sea is closely linked to the stability of global supply chains.

Disruptions in this corridor can increase shipping costs, extend delivery times and create additional pressure on energy markets.

The creation of a new multinational coalition does not immediately eliminate the risks facing commercial shipping, but it represents an important step toward improving coordination between regional and international actors.

As geopolitical competition intensifies across the Middle East, control and security of maritime chokepoints will remain a central factor shaping energy flows, trade routes and regional influence.

Links :

• Reuters : Turkey lays out plans for defence pact with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia
• The Conversation : Saudi defence pact with Turkey and Pakistan is a verdict on the reliability of US security guarantees 

China’s ‘Xuelong 2’ begins first ice station survey in central Arctic Ocean

Chinese research icebreaker Xuelong 2 Photo: VCG

From Global Times by Lu Wenao

 

China's research icebreaker Xuelong 2 began its first ice station survey of its current voyage near 84 degrees north latitude in the central Arctic Ocean on Sunday, marking the start of an approximately half-month comprehensive survey of the region.

After completing the first stage of comprehensive ocean station surveys on Friday, Xuelong 2 sailed toward higher latitudes and selected a large, relatively flat piece of sea ice about 1.5 meters thick in a densely packed ice zone for its first ice station.

According to Lin Long, captain of the Xuelong 2 sea ice team, the ice station survey conducted by the vessel during this voyage will include six short-term ice stations and one long-term ice station, the Xinhua News Agency reported Sunday.

More than 20 types of scientific operations will be carried out, including the deployment of expendable ice-based buoys, snow and ice-core sampling, under-ice water sampling, sea-ice remote sensing, atmospheric profiling and under-ice oceanographic observations.

Lan Musheng, assistant to the chief scientist of the expedition, said the researchers will comprehensively monitor changes in parameters related to the atmosphere, sea ice, upper ocean and ecological processes beneath the ice as the sea ice melts.

The observations will provide scientific data for studying the rapid changes in Arctic sea ice, the mechanisms behind those changes and the evolution of Arctic ecosystems.

The ice station work is part of China's 16th Arctic Ocean scientific expedition, which was organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources. The expedition set sail from Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning Province on July 3.

The mission is being carried out by four vessels - Xuelong, Xuelong 2, Jidi and Tansuo-3 - and is expected to be completed in early October. 

The expedition is focusing on comprehensive surveys of sea ice, hydrology, biology, ecology and the atmospheric environment in key areas of the Arctic Ocean.

The two icebreakers Xuelong and Xuelong 2 will work together on the ice station surveys. Xuelong completed surveys at 12 ice stations on Friday.

Lin said the ice station locations planned for Xuelong 2 will work in coordination with those of Xuelong to form an observation array.

The arrangement will allow researchers to more deeply investigate the interactions among the atmosphere, sea ice and ocean in the central Arctic Ocean amid rapid environmental changes, as well as their coupling effects with the ecosystem.

The expedition is being conducted against a backdrop of rapid changes in the Arctic environment.

When the mission was launched in July, expedition leader Wang Jinhui said that global warming was driving rapid and profound changes in the Arctic natural environment, with trends such as sea-ice melting intensifying.

The expedition is therefore designed not only to monitor environmental changes but also to investigate frontier scientific questions, including the dynamic evolution of the oceanic crust.

Working on sea ice also presents significant safety challenges.

Low temperatures and complex ice-surface conditions can pose risks to researchers, while polar bears are considered the biggest safety risk during ice station operations.

The expedition team has therefore formulated specific bear-prevention and emergency response plans and equipped personnel with various types of bear-deterrence equipment and emergency supplies to ensure their safety.

Links :

• People.cn : China's research icebreaker Xuelong 2 carries out operations at ice stations in Arctic Ocean
• CGTN : Xuelong 2 begins 1st ice station survey during 16th Arctic expedition
• CBC : Canada, U.S. shadow Chinese research ships in the Arctic as concern grows over Snow Dragons' presence 
• Financial Times : China bypasses shipping chokepoints with 'Ice Silk Road' through Arctic