That’s because of something that could be called zombie ice. That’s doomed ice that, while still attached to thicker areas of ice, is no longer getting replenished by parent glaciers now receiving less snow. Without replenishment, the doomed ice is melting from climate change and will inevitably raise seas, said study co-author William Colgan, a glaciologist at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland.

Colgan said:

“It’s dead ice. It’s just going to melt and disappear from the ice sheet. This ice has been consigned to the ocean, regardless of what climate (emissions) scenario we take now.”

Study lead author Jason Box, a glaciologist at the Greenland survey, said it is “more like one foot in the grave.”

The unavoidable ten inches in the study is more than twice as much sea level rise as scientists had previously expected from the melting of Greenland’s ice sheet. The study in the journal Nature Climate Change said it could reach as much as 30 inches (78 centimeters). By contrast, last year’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report projected a range of 2 to 5 inches (6 to 13 centimeters) for likely sea level rise from Greenland ice melt by the year 2100.

What scientists did for the study was look at the ice in balance. In perfect equilibrium, snowfall in the mountains in Greenland flows down and recharges and thickens the sides of glaciers, balancing out what’s melting on the edges. But in the last few decades there’s less replenishment and more melting, creating imbalance. Study authors looked at the ratio of what’s being added to what’s being lost and calculated that 3.3% of Greenland’s total ice volume will melt no matter what happens with the world cutting carbon pollution, Colgan said.

One of the study authors said that more than 120 trillion tons (110 trillion metric tons) of ice is already doomed to melt from the warming ice sheet’s inability to replenish its edges. When that ice melts into water, if it were concentrated only over the United States, it would be 37 feet (11 meters) deep.

The figures are a global average for sea level rise, but some places further away from Greenland would get more and places closer, like the U.S. East Coast, would get less. Although 10.6 inches may not sound like much, this would be over and above high tides and storms, making them even worse, so this much sea level rise “will have huge societal, economic and environmental impacts,” said Ellyn Enderlin, a geosciences professor at Boise State University, who wasn’t part of the study.

This is the first time scientists calculated a minimum ice loss—and accompanying sea level rise—for Greenland, one of Earth’s two massive ice sheets that are slowly shrinking because of climate change from burning coal, oil and natural gas. Scientists used an accepted technique for calculating minimum committed ice loss, the one used on mountain glaciers for the entire giant frozen island.

The team doesn’t know how long it will take for all the doomed ice to melt, but making an educated guess, it would probably be by the end of this century, or at least by 2150.

Source: https://seawanderer.org/zombie-ice-from-greenland-will-raise-sea-level-10-inches

Data usage on commercial maritime vessels has jumped more than threefold since 2019, according to new communications analysis that underlines the shipping industry’s reliance on digital connectivity to enhance operating efficiency and safeguard crew welfare during a period of unprecedented disruption to seaborne trade.

The internal study undertaken by Inmarsat, the world leader in global, mobile satellite communications services, which connects more vessels than any other provider, reveals that maritime demand has continued to rise as commercial shipping recovers following the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic – with data usage among Inmarsat maritime customers rising almost 70 percent in the 12 months to mid-2022.

Analysis of data usage by leading vessel operators shows year-on-year demand for data was highest among container shipping companies, more than doubling (108%) in June 2022 compared to June 2021, while use of connectivity increased by 70% among oil tanker operators and by 47% on bulk carriers over the same period.

Ben Palmer, President of Inmarsat Maritime, said: “Maritime data usage is a leading indicator of economic activity and international trade in the shipping industry, which carries 90% of all global trade. More and more shipping companies are upgrading their satellite communications services and adopting new technologies for applications including route-planning, ship-to-shore broadband data transfers and to maximise fuel efficiency. They are also ensuring that their crews remain connected with family and friends while at sea, the mandatory requirement now recognised by the Maritime Labour Convention. Our study shows data usage is on the rise among all commercial vessel types.

“The success we’re seeing in our order book is due to our understanding of the commercial maritime industry and the needs of ship owners and operators. This appreciation led directly to the development of our unique service proposition for shipping companies, which combines two wholly-owned and operated global networks in our market leading Fleet Xpress service. Our strategy is to continue to innovate at pace, supporting the rapid digitalisation the industry is experiencing, which in turn is being driven by industry-wide targets for decarbonisation and the imperative of ensuring crew welfare.”

Inmarsat’s maritime data usage study comes amid a record order book for the company’s Fleet Xpress satellite communications systems. The Fleet Xpress installed base rose by 17% in the second quarter of 2022 compared to Q2 2021, to almost 13,000 ships, with an order book of over 1,000 vessels.

Earlier this year, Inmarsat completed technical proof of concept tests for the terrestrial 5G mesh component of its new ORCHESTRA network. The tests took place in Singapore, one of the world’s busiest container ports. ORCHESTRA provides innovative spectrum-management and connectivity technology to deliver additional data capacity at key shipping hot spots via a unique, shore-based terrestrial networks. The 5G mesh network has the potential to integrate seamlessly with Inmarsat’s geostationary satellite constellations and a highly targeted low earth orbit (LEO) fleet to deliver the lowest average latency and fastest average speeds with unique resilience of any planned global service.

“As data demand continues to grow in the shipping industry, our ORCHESTRA testing in Singapore has shown in real-world cases how to enhance ship-to-shore and ship-to-ship connectivity, including distances, range, throughput and link availability,” continued Palmer. “We are innovating with this technology because connectivity demand in key ports and shipping lanes is only going to increase further and lead to growing congestion.”

The figures on data usage and maritime orders coincide with continued planning by Inmarsat for its combination with Viasat of the US, which also serves a range of customers in the maritime sector. On completion of the transaction, the enlarged company will drive greater customer choice in B2B satellite communications serving maritime customers, as well as aviation, government and enterprise users, by providing a strong multi-layered, global architecture, and uniquely in the space sector, the ability to bring together multi-orbital satellite and terrestrial 4G and 5G assets.
Source: Inmarsat

The United States will keep looking for ways to increase gas products going into Europe in the face of Russian energy cuts after its invasion of Ukraine, the White House said on Wednesday.

“President Putin again is weaponizing energy,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby said at a news briefing.

REGENT announced it has received an Approval in Principle (AIP) from Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore for its 12-passenger, fully electric, wing-in-ground effect (WIG) seaglider, the Viceroy. This AIP marks an important certification milestone for seagliders, offering a clear path for the vehicle’s classification as a wing in ground effect (WIG) maritime vessel and the commencement of commercial seaglider operations. REGENT currently has a backlog of $7 billion in provisional orders for their seagliders from ferry and aviation operators.

The AIP is a validated third-party technical assessment for the seaglider completed by Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore. The AIP is the culmination of a 10-month long engagement between REGENT and Bureau Veritas engineers, which included a series of workshops encompassing aspects of the vehicle’s structure, mechanical systems, avionics, propulsion, and safety systems. Throughout the process, Bureau Veritas provided preliminary expert advice with a focus on the early identification of rules and regulatory framing for the seaglider’s classification.

“This certification milestone is an extremely important moment for the seaglider’s design and technical maturity. It is the first major outcome of our maritime certification process. The Approval in Principle confirms we are on an achievable certification path towards the ultimately making progress towards the commercialization of seagliders,” said Billy Thalheimer, co-founder and CEO of REGENT. “Bureau Veritas and their deep bench of engineering talent with complex maritime vessel experience, has proven a tremendous partner in our certification activities to date, and we are excited to deepen the relationship as we look ahead to the next phase of our design approval process.”

The AIP will be followed by a design appraisal process, a series of technical studies that are now underway that will allow the implementation of the seaglider’s design and operation without significant risk of compliance or qualification issues. In conducting a Design Appraisal, Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore will provide an independent, safety-based certification of REGENT’s seaglider design. REGENT will also be leveraging the AIP in support of a Design Basis Agreement (DBA) with the US Coast Guard, which is expected this fall. The AIP and DBA form a classification and certification basis with both Bureau Veritas and the U.S. Coast Guard, similar to the G-1 and G-2 issue paper used in FAA aircraft certification.

This AIP marks an important milestone for REGENT before it commences serial production of the new vessel. It’s a significant step forward to enabling seaglider operations in countries around the world.

“Society is accelerating its move toward highly digitalized, decarbonized transportation solutions. Our work with Seagliders has been an opportunity for Bureau Veritas to further share and develop our expertise in new systems and technologies including electric propulsion systems, high-speed hydrofoils, and digital fly-by-wire control systems whilst also assessing the safety of these systems,” said Laurent Leblanc, Senior Vice-President, Technical & Operations, Bureau Veritas, Marine and Offshore.

Source: https://www.marinelink.com/news/regent-receives-bv-aip-a-winginground-499148

Wärtsilä said it will supply the engines, waterjets and fuel storage and supply system for a new high speed catamaran ferry. The vessel is being built at the Incat yard in Tasmania, Australia on behalf of Argentinian ferry operator, Buquebus. Having an overall length of 130 meters, a width of 32 meters and the capacity to carry 2,100 passengers and 226 cars, it will be the largest aluminum catamaran ever built by Incat. The order with Wärtsilä was placed in July 2022.

The vessel will operate between Argentina and Uruguay with Wärtsilä’s 31 dual-fuel engine technology using primarily LNG fuel produced at Buquebus own LNG plant. The vessel will also incorporate shaft e-motors powered via the main engine gearboxes taking further advantage of Wärtsilä’s LNG technology. With LNG, the minimized emissions of CO2, nitrous oxides (NOx), sulphur oxides (SOx) and particulate matter will make the ferry Tier III compliant and able to operate in emission control areas (ECAs).

“We have selected Wärtsilä waterjets many times in the past, and have always been extremely satisfied with their performance,” said Tim Burnell, Incat’s CEO. “This though is the first time we will include Wärtsilä engines, and we are excited about the potential they provide. This will be the world’s largest and greenest vessel of its type, and we are very happy to be working with Wärtsilä to make the project a huge success.”

“This is indeed an exciting project. Our latest WXJ generation axial flow waterjets reduce the installation footprint on average by approximately 25%, compared to non-axial flow jet designs. They also give a higher power-to-weight ratio, and come with an advanced Propulsion Control System. Combining this with our highly efficient, fuel flexible engines, means that it is a truly future-proof investment,” added Mikko Mannerkorpi, General Manager, Sales, Wärtsilä Marine Power.

The full scope of supply comprises four Wärtsilä 31DF dual-fuel engines, four Wärtsilä WXJ1500SR waterjets, and two Wärtsilä LNGPac fuel storage, supply and propulsion control systems. The equipment will be delivered to the yard commencing in mid-2023.

Source: https://www.marinelink.com/news/wrtsil-supply-propulsion-worlds-largest-499152