Category Archives: High Seas

In the sweltering heat of the late-morning west African sun, Aminata Jamba slashes at golden rice stalks with a sickle. The rice is lovely, she says, music playing in the background as her son, Sampa, silently harvests the grain. But even if the quality is high, the quantity is not.

While once Jamba could have expected to harvest enough rice to last the whole year, this year she reckons it will last three to four months. After that, she will have to look elsewhere for a way to feed her family and make enough money to live.

Things are different now, explains Manding Kassamah, a fellow farmer and mother of nine, fresh in from the rice fields, empty water can in hand. The rains used to come in plenty. People would work and have a good harvest. Now, we work hard but we dont get as much rice as we used to.

Traditionally, rice farming in the Gambia has been mostly done by women, while their male counterparts look after the groundnuts. But for years now the female farmers have watched as the land around them becomes increasingly difficult to manage.

Here in Kerewan, on the north bank of the Gambia River, they are battling the climate crisis on two fronts. Rising sea levels are pushing saltwater further and further along the river, which snakes its way across the length of the low-lying country, and prolonged dry spells mean less freshwater to flush out the salinity. The result is that the water in the fields that used to produce rice is now too salty, and the much of the land more than 30 hectares (74 acres) has had to be abandoned. For women such as Jamba and Kassamah, that is a disaster.

These women are pushed out and they dont have many other livelihoods to turn to like men, says Muhammed Ceesay, 27, from the youth-led organisation Activista. It pushes them into poverty. They are very vulnerable.

The women here are relatively lucky, as they do have an alternative source of food and income in the form of a vegetable garden. They can grow aubergines, tomatoes, peppers and onions, and know that, even if they have dwindling rice supplies, they will have something to sell or eat. Its our tomorrow, says Binta Fatty. It helps us in so many areas because it helps us stay healthy and to be able to buy small things for our children. Thats why we focus on the garden after the rice fields.

This backup is essential. Last years rice harvest only lasted Fatty about six months before she had to do what in Kerewan would once have been unthinkable: buy imported rice.

In the past 10 years, this has become the norm across the Gambia. In this community there was a time when, if they saw you buy rice from the shop, they would know there was hunger in your house. Now, its the order of the day, says Almamo Fatty, 63, no close relation of Binta, although the two joke that they are brother and sister.

I dont think you will see anyone in this community [now] who will say: I can farm enough rice to feed my family for longer than six months, he says.

His own is no exception. His son, Kemo Fatty, a climate activist who was part of the Gambian delegation to the Cop26 climate summit, has seen how his mother has become gradually less self-sufficient. She has to depend on my pay cheque to actually buy rice that comes from China, and this has been happening for the past couple of years now, he says. Imagine, from having our own rice that we grew and ate all year round to having no rice at all.

The Gambian government knows more needs to be done to protect its farmers from the impact of the climate crisis: agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, accounting for about a quarter of GDP and employing about 75% of the labour force.

But, from low technological capacity to poor energy supplies, the challenges for farmers are daunting. Almost all food in the country comes from rain-fed fields, making farmers particularly vulnerable to changes in precipitation.

And female farmers who are expected to shoulder the burden of caring for their families as well as earning their keep, risk domestic violence as poverty bites, and are often unable to access the contraception they need to control how many children they want are arguably the most vulnerable of all.

The Gambian climate activist Fatou Jeng, who was also in Glasgow for Cop26, says that although they make up about 70% of the countrys agricultural workforce, women and girls face inadequate access to basic natural resources needed for farming.

Writing for the International Rescue Committee website, she adds: There is a great injustice at the heart of all of this. All too often, these under-represented groups, such as women living in fragile states, understand most about what is at stake and, therefore, the solutions needed to tackle climate change. Yet women in particular have been systematically excluded from the decision-making table.

In short, if women like Jamba, Kassamah and Fatty are left out of the climate crisis solution, the solution may never be found.

Standing on the boggy banks of a tributary of the Gambia River, Almamo Fatty gestures to the ground, the clay sparkling in the sunshine. This stuff you see shining? That is salt, he says, shaving off a thin layer with a machete. If you taste this, it is salty. And it is.

Twenty years ago, if you grew rice here it would grow like this, he says, gesturing to his shoulder. One field would have produced 20 bags of rice. Now, there are plans for a dyke to stop the saltwater, but he knows life will never go back to the way it was before the climate crisis arrived. This land here, it was all rice fields, he says. Now its all abandoned.

Additional reporting by Omar Wally

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Taste this, its salty: how rising seas are ruining the Gambias rice farmers - The Guardian

On January 5, 2009, two months after 10 sea-borne terrorists launched a deadly attack on Mumbai that left 166 people dead and 238 injured, the Maharashtra government issued a government resolution sanctioning funds to hire boats to patrol the coastline. Three police stations were notified as responsible for coastal policing their jurisdiction ranged from the seashore to 12 nautical miles off the citys 114-kilometre coastline.

In 2021, the Sagari police, as they are referred to, remains under-equipped. Even today, there are only three stations Yellow Gate police station in South Mumbai, Sagari 1 at Mahim and Sagari 2 at Gorai in North Mumbai whose mandate includes investigating and preventing crimes in territorial waters. To be sure, there are other stations whose jurisdiction involves patrolling the coastline, but their jurisdiction only extends to the shore.

While Yellow Gate police station responsible for the coastline between Sassoon docks and Vashi bridge and operating with a sanctioned strength of 152 personnel, including 12 officers was already tasked with policing the high seas before the 26/11 attack, the other two came up a few years after the terror siege.

Sagari I PS, which came up in 2012, has a sanctioned strength of 60 policemen and was tasked to look after coastal security between Sassoon docks and Juhu. Sagari II PS, which came up in 2013 was charged with keeping the northern coast of the city, between Juhu and Dahisar, secure. It has a sanctioned strength of 120 personnel.

The force has about 20 boats to patrol the coastline. In 2016, the Mumbai Sagari police acquired 10-speed boats eight equipped with 500 horsepower (HP) engines and two with 750 HP engines to patrol territorial waters; the rest patrol the shoreline. However, police officers said that only 12 (including speedboats) are operational. Some break down often, making it risky for policemen to patrol the sea beyond four nautical miles.

A senior IPS officer said that the boats have to be sent to the repair centre and spare parts come from the Goa shipping yard, a government facility.

A second officer said that at present, three working boats are allotted to the Yellow Gate police station and two each are allotted to Sagari I and Sagari II stations. A team of seven policemen one sub-inspector, three members of the constabulary, two technical staff members and the driver patrol the coast within their respective jurisdictions in the speed boats twice a day.

In the aftermath of the 26/11 attacks, the Mumbai police were also equipped with 18 amphibious vehicles (though they are called amphibious, they are not sea vehicles), which were distributed to the police stations on coastal areas including Gorai, Malwani, Versova, and Juhu.

With their wide tyres, these vehicles move easily on the sand and water. However, from 2013 onwards, some were seen parked at police stations. Some of these vehicles were working till 2014 and even in 2015, but after that, they became dysfunctional and have since been removed from police stations as well, said the second police officer.

A year after the 26/11 attacks, four Sea-Legs (boats with wheels that can also operate on the shore and road, but with limited speeds) were procured by the state government and provided to Girgaum, Dadar, Juhu and Versova police stations. They too stopped functioning after a few years.

I have not seen them functioning after 2013 because their parts were unavailable in India. Sea-legs were capable of moving on both land and water and could travel at over 40 knots in the water and over 10 km per hour on land, said a third senior police officer.

He said that the spare parts of these vehicles are not available in India.

In the latest move to upgrade the infrastructure of the existing Coastal security system, in 2018, the Maharashtra government decided to construct Marine Operation Rooms (MOR) at 10 major landing points of Mumbais coast, including Badhwar Park in Colaba where the 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives on the night of November 26, 2008. These rooms are meant to serve as quick response posts for marine combat.

The formation of three MORs would be done on a pilot project basis at Sassoon Docks, Marve in Malad and near Bandra end of the Bandra-Worli Sealink, a senior Mumbai police officer had said ahead of the 26/11 anniversary in 2018.

Three years on, none of the MORs has come up.

We require at least two police personnel posted round-the-clock at each of these landing points. Currently, due to lack of staff, we are compelled to post one person at each of the points, that too without any support of modern equipment, said a third police officer.

Most importantly, we require more life jackets and bulletproof jackets which are currently in one digit per police station, he said.

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13 years of 26/11: How prepared are we? - Hindustan Times

Wetter Online

During the last 24 hours, several districts of Tamil Naduhave witnessed heavy rains. Chennai has received 96 mm of heavy rainfall,Parangipattai 147 mm and Karaikal 110 mm. Interior parts of Tamil Nadu has alsoreceived light to moderate rain at many places.

Now, heavy rain is very likely to occur over Tamil Naducoast during the next 48 hours, causing water-logging at many places and aflood like situation at one or two places. There is a possibility of red alertlike situation in Puducherry, Tiruvalluvar, Ranipet, Changalpet, Vellore andCuddalore districts including Chennai.

A Low Pressure Area is persisting over southern parts of Tamil Nadu and its associated cyclonic circulation is also extending up to an altitude of 3.1 km above sea level. Due to its effect, very strong winds are coming from the north-east direction towards the coast of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, due to which the rains can become very heavy.

Coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh may also see moderate toheavy rains at many places for the next 2 or 3 days. During the next 2 or 3days, there is a possibility of gusty wind and high seas along the coast ofTamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Therefore, fishermen are advised not to ventureinto the sea for the next two-three days.

Light to moderate rain is also likely over Rayalaseema andSouth Interior Karnataka. After November 29, there will be a significantreduction in rain activities in all these states and the situation will startreturning to normal.

For accurate weather forecast and updates, download Skymet Weather (Android App | iOS App) App.

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Waterlogging likely due to heavy rains in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh | Skymet Weather Services - Skymet Weather

DALKEY resident Des Burke-Kennedy has released his self-published new book as we approach the November 1765 anniversary of a tragic saga which claimed the lives of eight innocent people.

He recently laid three wreaths in memory of Captain George Glas, his wife Isobell and their eleven year-old daughter at the Muglins rock just beyond Dalkey Island on the southern side of Dublin Bay.

At this exact place, the bodies of two of the familys murderers were displayed for all to see following their March 1st 1766 trial for mutiny and murder in Dublin.

Des new 233 page book is full of fascinating details of what life was like for mariners and their families at that time, extraordinary adventures which started in Dundee in Scotland and continued off the coast of west Africa, the Canary Islands and the Caribbean, but most of all describes what one courageous man and his family achieved in their short lives as they risked all in what was a very cruel world.

In 1765, George Glass (Glas), his wife and daughter, were involved in a sensational mutiny off the south east coast of Ireland. Details were published widely in Britain, Ireland, the Canaries, America and beyond.

George was born in Dundee in Scotland in 1725. The son of Reverend John Glas, a Presbyterian Minister, his strict upbringing pointed towards a career in the Church.

That was not for him. Having studied as a Ships Surgeon, he joined the Royal Navy, became a merchant seaman and finally succeeded in financing his own ship to launch his career as a Privateer, in other words, an armed trader. During this period, he quickly became a wealthy man.

Privateering was profitable for those who survived. Escaping death on several occasions, he lost seven ships and was imprisoned seven times by Englands enemies on the high seas. Some regarded him as a Pirate and a well-educated one too.

In 1764, he somehow found time to write an impressive History of the Canary Islands Behind all the drama, George was driven by a secret ambition to establish his own trading harbour to be named Hillsborough.

This he discovered in Senegal on Africas west coast below the Canaries. All he needed now to make his dream and fortune complete were agreements from the local tribal chief and Englands Bord of Trade.

For some unknown reason, having secured the tribal chiefs agreement, he returned to Hillsborough bringing with him his wife Isobell and their ten-year-old daughter. This is where his familys life was to change dramatically forever.

While moored at Hillsborough, Georges ship was attacked by natives. Half his crew were slaughtered. Short of supplies, rather than starve on board, he launched a small boat and sailed to the Canaries for supplies, leaving Isobell and his daughter and remaining crew on board.

On landing in the Canaries, he was arrested by the Governor, thrown in to a dungeon and almost starved to death.

His abandoned wife meanwhile lifted anchor in Hillsborough and miraculously also made it to the Canaries where she eventually secured Georges prison release.

They both decided that enough was enough, paid for a berth on the Earl of Sandwich and set sail to England for Christmas 1765. Unknown to almost all on board, there was a vast fortune secured in Captain Cockerans quarters.

Four crew members set up a mutiny as the ship reached the Scilly Isles, murdered George, his wife and daughter and all five of the crew.

To avoid detection, they scuttled the Earl of Sandwich, loaded over two tons of gold, silver and jewels in to a small row boat and headed for the nearest shore Wexford on Irelands east coast.

The four murderers set off all kinds of alarms as they made their way from Wexford to Waterford on horseback and up to the port of Dublin to try to escape back to England with their vast fortune.

Heavy drinking and loose talk in taverns made them easy to trace. Eventually, all four were captured, most of the treasure secured and they were sent for trial. Quickly convicted of murder and especially of Isobell and her young daughter, they were hanged.

The four corpses were displayed in public at Ringsend in Dublin Port to discourage other mutineers.

Two were buried close by later face down in the mud.

The other two corpses were then transported south along the coast to a gibbet on a rock known as The Muglins off the coast of Dalkey till seagulls had their fill.

Their remains may still be there today!

It is thought that Robert Louis Stevenson based his novel Treasure Island on this sad family saga of Captain George Glass and his brave wife and young daughter.

Murder, Mutiny and the Muglins, is available on Amazon and as a signed hardback at http://www.MurderMutinyandtheMuglins.shop

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Murder, Mutiny and the Muglins - Dublin People

View of a coral reef off the Andaman Islands. Photo: Ritiks/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

India is one of the worlds 17 mega-biodiverse countries, harbours 7-8% of the worlds recorded species, and supports various ecosystems, including forests, deserts, mountains, wetlands, grasslands and coastal and marine ecosystems. The last two are of particular importance; they include mangroves, coral reefs, estuaries, seagrass, mudflats and lagoons, occupying 7,516 sq. km, a continental shelf area of area 468,000 sq. km and an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of 2.02 million sq. km.

These ecosystems are home to numerous marine species, including charismatic and critically endangered species such as sea turtles, whales, dolphins, sharks, rays, dugongs, whale sharks and sea cucumbers. Further, around 171 million people, including fishing communities and Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs), live along Indias coastline. These ecosystems also serve as traditional sources of livelihoods to about 16 million fishers. Together, the fisheries and aquaculture industries contribute around 1% towards Indias GDP.

However, Indias biodiversity is rapidly becoming less rich. The health of our coastal and marine ecosystems is impacted by a host of threats, including exploitation of resources, plastic pollution, habitat degradation, coastal erosion and climate change. These threats are also affecting the lives and livelihoods of local communities that depend on these ecosystems for sustenance. The coast of India is witnessing a decline in fish catch, a very large dead zone has been reported from the Bay of Bengal, and the population of different marine species, including sharks and rays, has been shrinking.

Cognisant of these threats, India as a party to the international Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) recently expressed its support for a global target known colloquially as 30 30. Its aim is to protect and conserve 30% of the worlds terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems. The target is currently being negotiated by parties to the CBD as part of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.

Meeting the 30 30 target could also help India protect its coastal and marine biodiversity, while providing economic benefits, food and water security, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and sustaining the livelihoods of coastal communities that depend on these ecosystems.

What counts towards the 30 30 target?

30 30 is a global target, which means that parties to the CBD together, have to protect 30% of the worlds land and sea. So depending on national conditions and circumstances, each country will be left to determine the percentage of its own geographical areas that it will allocate towards meeting this target. Areas that will be counted include area-based conservation measures like marine protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) that are established in territorial waters; the EEZ of each country; and parts of the high seas (i.e., waters beyond national jurisdiction).

Marine protected areas are geographical areas established and managed for the primary purpose of protecting marine ecosystems and species. OECMs, on the other hand, are broader and help achieve sustained positive biodiversity outcomes irrespective of their management goals. OECMs will protect marine biodiversity as well as yield a range of benefits to people who depend on marine resources. Some examples of OECMs include sacred natural sites, areas managed by small-scale fishers, traditionally protected marine reserves or fishing grounds, historic shipwrecks and protected water catchments.

According to a recent brief prepared, among others, by the UN Environment Programme, it is essential for area-based measures under the 30 30 target to deliver effective conservation outcomes in order to meet the target. So the effective management of marine protected areas and OECMs is crucial to achieving this outcome. Areas that count towards the target must provide ecosystem services and be important biodiversity sites, be ecologically representative, and be part of well-connected protected area networks. These areas also have to be effectively and equitably managed.

In this context, the 30 30 target provides an important opportunity to help secure the participation of IPLCs. A rights-based approach that is, integrating human rights into conservation policy must be adopted while declaring IPLC territories as marine protected areas or OECMs.

Opportunities for India

Thus far Indias terrestrial areas have received significant attention, but the time is now ripe to focus more on underrepresented coastal and marine areas. According to Indias Sixth National Report (under the CBD), protected areas cover approximately 27% of Indias geographical area. Of this, only 5% of coastal and marine areas are designated protected areas. This makes it all the more important for India to sign on to the 30 30 target and take appropriate actions to achieve it.

Currently, there are 25 marine protected areas in peninsular India and 107 marine protected areas in the Indian islands. Increasing area-based conservation under the 30 30 target could help restore and conserve biodiversity, help marine species adapt to climate change and revive fish stocks, thus saving the livelihoods of local communities that depend on marine resources. Area-based measures are important nature-based solutions for mitigating climate changes impact, and effectively designed and well-managed marine protected areas and OECMs could also help alleviate stressors like deoxygenation and acidification, and preserve natural storm barriers like coral reefs and mangroves.

In light of the UNs recent flagship climate report and its emphasis on how South Asia, including India, is vulnerable to extreme weather and sea-level rise, working towards the 30 30 target will also help India, including its ecosystems and communities, become more adaptable and resilient.

Increasing area-based measures for the 30 30 target could also help India generate considerable economic benefits, through revenue from nature tourism and ecosystems services. A working paper drafted by a team of scientists from around the world also identified a number of non-monetary benefits such as food security, reduced disease emergence, protection against flooding and soil loss, and improved clean water availability.

In recognition of these benefits, India must identify biodiversity-rich coastal and marine areas that are currently threatened and bring them under protection using its legal and regulatory framework.

The Wildlife (Protection) Act

While the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 is the primary legislation the government uses to protect marine species, one could say it is also terrestrially oriented. Currently, there is no separate procedure laid down to declare marine protected areas. Coastal and marine areas are mostly declared national parks, sanctuaries or biosphere reserves. In these places, extractive activities are prohibited or highly regulated, and this affects local fishing communities as well, which is why they are opposed to the government declaring new marine protected areas.

If the protection afforded to marine ecosystems is to be effective, the Wildlife (Protection) Act needs to accommodate the unique socio-economic and ecological characteristics of the Indian coastal and marine ecosystems.

Then again, the Wildlife (Protection) Act isnt the sole source of opportunities within the Indian legal and regulatory framework to establish marine protected areas. For example, the government can use the Territorial Waters, Continental Shelf, Exclusive Economic Zone and Other Maritime Zones Act 1976 to declare designated areas for the protection of marine environment within Indias continental shelf and EEZ (the Wildlife (Protection) Act is not applicable to the EEZ).

There are several submerged banks in Indias EEZ that the state can explore. One such area with protected areas potential is the Angria Bank, a submerged plateau spanning 650 sq. km and situated 135 km off the coastal Konkan belt of Maharashtra, within Indias EEZ. It supports large coral reefs and algal habitats, and harbours diverse flora and fauna.

Further, the government may declare coastal and marine areas proximate to marine protected and biodiverse-rich to be eco-sensitive zones under the Environment Protection Act 1986. Similarly, ecologically fragile coastal and marine ecosystems may also be declared biodiversity heritage sites under the Biodiversity Act 2002.

Marine protected areas v. OECMs

While marine protected areas are one set of the tools through which India has been conserving and protecting its marine biodiversity, OECMs from India could provide new and different opportunities to conserve areas falling outside the marine protected area network, and to recognise diverse governance approaches especially community-led efforts.

There are traditionally managed areas along the Indian subcontinent and island systems that the government can recognise as potential OECMs. India has also designated certain seascapes as important marine mammal areas (IMMAs), important coastal and marine biodiversity areas (ICMBAs) and ecologically and biologically significant marine areas (EBSAs). For example, the Wildlife Institute of India has identified 106 coastal and marine sites as ICMBAs.

These categories serve as knowledge tools to help identify areas that have the potential to be delineated and managed for conservation but are devoid of management implications. For an area to qualify as an OECM, it is essential that the area be managed in ways that achieve sustained biodiversity outcomes. Therefore, IMMAs, ICMBAs and EBSAs can qualify as OECMs only if the management of these areas results in long-term conservation outcomes.

Involving IPLCs

One concern about the 30 30 target is the profound impact it may have on IPLCs, if it is implemented without involving local fishers in the decision-making process and without proper planning. For most coastal communities, the coastal and marine areas are their sole source of food and income. This means increasing conservation efforts under the 30 30 target could raise concerns for these communities, as they may fear losing rights over their territories and marine resources.

So it is important that they be made primary decision-makers in conservation efforts and for their rights to be recognised while including their land to meet the 30 30 target. Communities have to be involved in management strategies, and be made aware of the positive impact of community-led conservation efforts, such as higher fisheries yield and food security, revenue from ecotourism, enhanced climate resilience, and retention of traditional values. Doing so would be a win-win for the people and nature.

Despite the threats Indias coastal and marine biodiversity faces, the Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services of 2019 pointed out that there is still hope for Indias biodiversity to recover, through transformative change. India must in turn take appropriate measures to effectively achieve the 30 30target over the next decade, with the government coordinating with all stakeholders including civil society, concerned citizens, businesses, scientists and local communities.

If implemented properly, the 30 30 target could help India attain two goals the sustainable development of its coasts and people, and the conservation of its unique coastal and marine biodiversity.

Samrita Shankar is a marine policy advisor, Shyama Kuriakose is legal head of Counter Wildlife Trafficking and Vardhan Patankar is a scientist all at the Wildlife Conservation Society, India.

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What the '30 30 Target' Could Mean for India's Marine Biodiversity - The Wire Science

Image courtesy of Langh Ship

PublishedNov 26, 2021 7:25 PM by The Maritime Executive

[By:Langh Ship]

Langh Ship has ordered three multipurpose dry cargo vessels which will serve Outokumpu on the short sea lane between Finland and continental Europe.

Outokumpu, a global leader in stainless steel and a forerunner in sustainability, has entered a long-term time charter with the Finnish shipping company Langh Ship for three newbuildings delivered by the Wuhu shipyard in China. Delivery for the first vessel is scheduled mid-2023, followed by the other two at close intervals.

The newbuildings are designed for all-year traffic in the northern Gulf of Bothnia and will have ice class 1A. The vessels are set to operate between Outokumpus main port, Tornio, Finland, and its continental hub Terneuzen, the Netherlands. The vessels will transport semi-finished and finished steel products to customers and for further processing. On the back-haul the vessels will be loaded with steel scrap, which is the main raw material of Outokumpu stainless steel.

The ordered vessels will have a deadweight of 7,800 tons, thus be of ideal size for the requested service frequency. The design has been developed by Langh Ship in collaboration with Outokumpu and the Chinese ship designer Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute (SDARI). Langh Ship has three multipurpose cargo ships, specially equipped for shipments of steel, currently charter to Outokumpu. The experiences from many years of cooperation on this trade has been utilized in designing cargo holds and cargo handling solutions for the new vessels.

We highly value the long-term relationship that we have with Outokumpu. The cooperation between our companies has started over three decades ago. We very much look forward to this next step with these newbuildings, which deepens our cooperation even further, says Laura Langh-Lagerlf, Managing Director, Langh Ship.

Jyrki Sandelin, Outokumpu Category Manager for transports: This transport stretch is the single most important transport lane for Outokumpu Group and that is why we rely on our trusted partner Langh Ship. Our cooperation and the previous experience gathered on this northern route has led to excellent solutions. Both companies have high ambitions and keep pushing each other for constant improvements.

The newbuildings will be specially equipped for shipping steel but as multipurpose vessels are fit for many cargo types to serve Outokumpu versatile needs. The main product, stainless steel coils have a secure ride with Langh Ships patented pontoon-type coil cradle tween deck. By loading coils both on the bottom of the hold and on the tween deck, the weight is distributed in a way making the ship's motions in heavy seas slower. This makes the transport safer and reduces the risk of cargo damage.

When loading other goods, the tween decks are stowed in a smaller cargo hold releasing the main cargo hold for bulk cargo or containers. The hold is box-shaped and equipped with adjustable bulkheads to create optimal hold sizes for other cargo as well as the dimensions are optimized for containers. Heavy steel containers especially developed by Langh Cargo Solutions can be carried on the hatch covers. The starting point for designing the cargo solutions has been to maximize the utilization of the cargo capacity. This will at the end, serve both targets, reducing further the transport emissions and being as cost efficient as possible.

The vessels are designed to meet Outokumpu ambitious sustainability targets by minimizing emissions and complying with all known upcoming environmental regulations. The vessels are equipped with dual-fuel engines which can run on multiple fuels and thus be adjusted for future next generation propellants.

Thanks to the energy-efficient hull shape, these vessels have a lower engine power than the current vessels. Despite that they can load more cargo and keep the same service speed, says Laura Langh-Lagerlf, Managing Director, Langh Ship.

The design has been developed in close cooperation between Outokumpu and Langh Ship. Both companies have the joint target to make the vessels as energy efficient, environmentally friendly and as flexible as possible. The future will bring alternative fuels, shore power and battery technologies, which these vessels are already equipped for, says Eero Pajunen, Chief Operating Officer, Langh Ship.

The newbuildings will be equipped with a dual fuel main engine with an output of 4,500 kW. In the future, the vessels can be converted to run with various fossil-free fuels. As initial fuel they will use liquefied natural gas, LNG which can be directly replaced by liquefied biogas (LBG). The ship's LNG tank is both methanol and ammonia ready. Furthermore, the vessels are prepared for installation of onshore power, which would make them emission-free during port calls. There is also space reserved for the installation of batteries, which enable hybrid solutions.

For handling ballast water, the newbuildings are equipped with the recently launched Ballast Water Management System from Langh Tech. The system eliminates the risk of harmful invasive species.

The products and services herein described in this press release are not endorsed by The Maritime Executive.

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Langh Ship and Outokumpu Start a Newbuilding Project - The Maritime Executive

On the evening of November 27, 2008, a day after the heinous terror attacks in Mumbai referred to as 26/11, Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) secretary Ashok Chaturvedi met then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and offered to resign for his failure to prevent the multiple terror strike that led to the deaths of 166 people and injured 293 others.

Piecing together the chain of events by talking to those involved in the response to terror strike executed by Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and likely carried out with the cognisance of that countrys spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Hindustan Times has learnt that Chaturvedi showed all relevant intelligence alerts on impending major terror strike sent by R&AW to the multi-agency centre of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) for dissemination and action by the Mumbai Police. The specific alerts were sent to the IB by then joint secretary (international liaison) Anil Dhasmana; these alerts were compiled with the help of agencies such as the US Central Intelligence Agency and Israels Mossad.

Also Read | Manish Tewaris views on UPA action after 26/11 attacks trigger controversy

The R&AW alerts listed possible targets, including Nariman House, by name. There was also the November 20, 2008, alert issued by the agency to Indian Navy and Coast Guard, which were at the time involved in Defence of Gujarat war exercises in the high seas off the Kathiawar peninsula, about intruding ship Al Husseini which began its journey from KT Bandar in Karachi. The ship, whose latitude and longitude at anchor was given in the alert, was not intercepted on the high seas and the terrorists then used hijacked fishing trawler MV Kuber to reach the outer perimeter of Mumbai harbour on that fateful day.

Watch: Ahead of 26/11 anniversary, UPA govt's lack of response questioned by Congress leader; BJP gets ammo

While Chaturvedi died in 2011, it is understood that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, after examining R&AWs alerts, which will still be in the agencys archives, asked the then chief of Indias external intelligence agency not to resign. Chaturvedi, who was subsequently targeted for not preventing the 26/11 attacks, retired from the agency in January 2009. His Madhya Pradesh IPS cadremate Anil Dhasmana went on to become the R&AW chief in 2017 and is currently chairman of the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO).

Also Read | 26/11: The day terror hit us

That IB used these alerts to issue three warnings of impending terror strikes , including attacks on Jewish targets in Indias commercial capital, is evident from the de-classified report of RD Pradhan Commission of Inquiry set up by then state government headed by Congress chief minister Ashok Chavan. The Pradhan report talks about the lack of intelligent perception of threats by both the state home department and the Mumbai Police, and specifically mentions August 9, 2008, alerts from the IB on possible attacks on Taj Mahal Hotel, Oberoi Hotel and the World Trade Centre.

To be sure, while Mumbai Police did take the IB warnings very seriously as per the Pradhan Committee, the state of readiness went down over the following months and everyone was caught by surprise on 26/11. That the terror strikes had been in the works for some time (something that explains the advance warnings) is clear from details of the interrogation of LeTs 26/11 Mumbai scout David Coleman Headley aka Daood Gilani. Headley told NIA in June 2010 that the first attempt on Mumbai in September failed as the boat sank on high seas. The second attempt on 26/11 was successful and deadly with the Union home ministry, state home department and Mumbai Police all caught unawares.

With six US nationals and four Israeli nationals being killed in the attacks, both the CIA and Mossad were upset with India for its failure to prevent the Mumbai massacre. Despite this, both agencies and their governments helped Indian security agencies in digging out clues from charred mobile phones and GPS sets of the terrorists using latest technology.

Also Read | 26/11 special: Survivors say they are prepared for the worst, now

While Union home minister Shivraj Patil, state home minister RR Patil, and Mumbai Police commissioner Hasan Ghafoor lost their jobs after the incident, director, Intelligence Bureau, PC Haldar retired on his due date of superannuation on December 31, 2008. Clearly, central Intelligence had not failed.

Although there was a mood for military retaliation against Pakistan after the Mumbai massacre of innocents, this changed eight month later when PM Manmohan Singh met his Pakistani counterpart Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani at Shram El Sheikh on July 16, 2009, and decided to chart a way forward for bilateral relations. The Pakistani PM promised to bring perpetrators of Mumbai attacks to justice but countered with allegations of an Indian terror threat to Balochistan.

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RA&W chief offered to resign for failure to prevent 26/11 attack - Hindustan Times

Dubai: You might want to rethink your plans to hit the beach as the weather bureau has warned UAE residents about rough conditions at sea on Thursday.

According to the National Center of Meteorology (NCM), the sea will be rough due to winds that are expected to repeatedly blow. Waves with a height of 5-8 feet are expected to form offshore.

Skies across the UAE are looking sunny to partly cloudy at times over some areas, especially in Fujairah, Al Ain and Abu Dhabi.

Temperatures are expected to decrease. On average temperatures are expected to be in low 20s with minimum temperatures dropping to 14C.

Dubai is currently at 24 C with partly cloudy skies.

The relative humidity is expected to be high at night and on Friday morning, reaching up to 90 per cent. Fog and mist formation is also expected during those hours in internal and coastal areas in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman.

Winds are expected to repeatedly blow, at a speed of 15 25 km/h, reaching up to 45 km/h at times.

The winds are expected to blow dust and sand into the air, especially during the day, getting stronger with the cloud activity and reducing horizontal visibility. Drivers should be careful on the road as the dust might hinder visibility. Those who suffer from allergies should also take precautions when going outside.

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UAE: 8-foot-high waves off coast, residents warned due to rough seas, temperatures to drop on Thursday going down to 14C - Gulf News

China on Thursday accused Indias chief of defence staff (CDS) Bipin Rawat of instigating a geopolitical confrontation and violating strategic guidelines after he said China is Indias biggest security threat earlier this month.

The Chinese defence ministry called the remarks irresponsible and dangerous, and said it had made solemn representations against Rawats comments to the Indian establishment.

China is the biggest security threat facing India, much bigger than Pakistan, Rawat had said at a summit earlier this month, adding, however, that India is prepared to deal with any misadventure on the land borders or the high seas.

In response to a question whether China was Indias number one enemy, Rawat said no doubt and added: The threat on the northern borders is much bigger.

A lack of trust and growing suspicion is coming in the way of resolving the border dispute between the nuclear-armed neighbours, Bipin Rawat added in context of the ongoing Sino-India military friction in eastern Ladakh.

The Chinese defence ministry reacted strongly to Rawats remarks at the monthly press conference in Beijing on Thursday.

The unprovoked hype of the so-called Chinese military threat by Indian officials seriously violates the strategic guidelines of the leaders of the two countries on the not a threat to each other, ministry spokesperson, Colonel Wu Qian said, responding to a question at a press conference on Thursday.

It is irresponsible and dangerous to instigate geopolitical confrontation. We expressed firm opposition to this and made solemn representations to the Indian side, Wu added.

Chinas position on the China-India boundary issue is clear and unambiguous: The Chinese border troops are determined to safeguard national sovereignty and security. At the same time, they are committed to maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border area and make great efforts to ease and cool down the situation, Wu said.

As a neighbouring country, we hope that India and China will meet each other halfway, jointly maintain peace and tranquillity in the border area, and jointly maintain the sound development of bilateral relations, the spokesperson said.

Indian and Chinese militaries have been locked in a border standoff in eastern Ladakh since May, 2020, when a violent clash in Pangong lake area led to both sides gradually deploying tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry along the border.

Several rounds of military and diplomatic talks have only resulted in partial disengagement of troops until now.

In October, China accused India of unreasonable and unrealistic demands in an unusually aggressive statement issued at the end of the 13th round of military talks held to resolve the dragging standoff in the Ladakh area.

India has repeatedly and consistently rejected Chinas allegations that Indian troops crossed over to the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, asserting that New Delhi has always taken a responsible approach towards border management and maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas.

Russia, India, China foreign ministers to meet

The foreign ministers of Russia, India and China (RIC) will hold their annual meeting via video link on Friday, the Chinese foreign ministry announced on Thursday.

Fridays meeting will be the 18th round of talks between the three countries under the RIC mechanism.

Chinese state councillor and foreign minister Wang Yi will attend the RIC foriegn ministers meeting via video link on November 26, foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian announced on Thursday.

Wang will join Indian external affairs minister S Jaishankar and Russia foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov in the meeting.

Under the RIC framework, the foreign ministers of the three countries meet periodically to discuss bilateral, regional and international issues of their interest. During the upcoming meeting, China expects to boost communications, strengthen mutual trust and reach a consensus with Russia and India, sending a positive signal to the world, Zhao said.

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China lodges protest over CDS Rawat calling it Indias biggest security threat - Hindustan Times

New Delhi: Poor and artisanal fishermen in India will be in crisis if the World Trade Organisation (WTO) accepts the demand of developed nations to withdraw existing disciplines on fisheries subsidies.

The developed countries have been exerting pressure to withdraw subsidies, and the demand would be discussed at the 12th edition of the WTO ministerial conference to be held in Geneva from November 30 to December 3.

The move is to controlIllegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing. It has been argued that IUU fishing is posing a threat to marine ecosystems and the revenues of small-time fishers.

However, small-time fishers, who do not engage in IUU fishing, will be the worst hit if the subsidies are withdrawn.

The WTO has instructed to confine the subsidies only to those who fish within 12 nautical miles (nm) of the shore, and that too, for just two years after an agreement is reached.

Subsidies should not be extended for fishing in theExclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) within 200 nm from the shore. India has demanded appropriate and effective special and differential treatment to poor and artisanal fishermen should be extended to all fishermen, including those fishing in the EEZ, for the next 25 years.

Supreme council

The ministerial conference is the WTO's supreme council which convenes every two years. WTO makes its decision based on consensus and not a majority. It has to be seen how India and other developing nations will take on the developed countries' demand for withdrawing subsidies.

Law of the sea

According to the Law of the Sea formulated between 1973 and 1982, each country's sovereign territorial water extends to a maximum of 12 nm (22 km) from their coasts, while the 200 nm (370) beyond the territorial waters is the respective country's exclusive economic zone. The high sea is beyond the EEZ.

In India, States have the rights over territorial seas.

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India set to oppose move to withdraw fisheries subsidies at WTO - Onmanorama