U.S. Marines from 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group recently concluded a successful cycle of Humanitarian Mine Action Level 3 Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) training with Royal Thai Military Thailand Mine Action Center (TMAC) counterparts, in Ratchaburi and Prasat, Kingdom of Thailand, from July 11 to August 5, 2022.

HMA is an ongoing program between the U.S. and Kingdom of Thailand to provide training in order to build partner capacity in safe disposal of existing landmines and explosive remnants of war. The four-week course combines classroom instruction covering advanced EOD techniques, detailed ordnance classes, and render-safe techniques, along with several range days for practical application of the skills learned on live-ordnance.

Ultimately, during the course of the training the team from 3rd EOD company successfully trained 11 students, who are now better equipped to conduct HMA actions against the adverse effects of landmines and unexploded ordnance on the civilian populace, and able to pass their newfound knowledge on to future TMAC students.

For U.S. Marine Gunnery Sgt. Jeramie Pawloski, HMA Thailand Team Leader with 3rd EOD Company, 9th ESB, the latest training cycle was a success for both the U.S. trainers and TMAC students.

“The program design develops the capabilities of TMAC, providing personnel with the technical knowledge and skills required to work in the minefields safely during demining operations. The U.S. Marine instructors that execute these training missions learn just as much from our Thai counterparts and develop professional and personal relationships that the U.S. Marine EOD Technician can benefit from,” said Pawloski.

According to U.S. Marine Lt. Col. Daniel H. Cusinato, Marine Forces Pacific EOD officer and HMA Program Manager for EOD forces, the ongoing success of the HMA EOD program is a perfect encapsulation of the long-standing U.S. alliance with the Kingdom of Thailand.

“The opportunity to work with our Thai partners is always a valuable one, giving TMAC students real-world experience, sharpening the training and knowledge of our own EOD trainers, and most importantly, strengthening the bonds among Marines and Royal Thai Armed Forces service members,” said Cusinato.

3rd MLG, based out of Okinawa, Japan, is a forward deployed combat unit that serves as III Marine Expeditionary Force’s comprehensive logistics and combat service support backbone for operations throughout the Indo-Pacific area of responsibility.

Merchant sailors will be allowed to leave Ukraine if they receive approval from their local military administrative body, the Ukrainian prime minister said on Saturday, a move that could ease the process of shipping grain from the country’s ports.

Premier Denys Shmyhal said the decision had been approved by the cabinet on Saturday. The change would cover male crew members of sea and river vessels, as well as students who need to undertake practical training aboard ships, he added.

The decision is likely to ease a shortage of sailors able and willing to crew ships coming into and out of Ukraine to export grain via an internationally brokered corridor.

Ukrainian men aged 18-60 have largely been barred from leaving Ukraine under a state of martial law imposed as the country battles the Russian invasion. Women of all ages have been free to leave throughout the war.

Source: https://www.marinelink.com/news/ukraine-allows-sailors-leave-country-499054

Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers USS Antietam (CG 54) and USS Chancellorsville (CG 62) are conducting a routine Taiwan Strait transit August 28 (local time) through waters where high seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law.

These ships transited through a corridor in the Strait that is beyond the territorial sea of any coastal State. The ship’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States military flies, sails, and operates anywhere international law allows.

Source: https://maritimefairtrade.org/u-s-warships-transit-taiwan-strait-to-uphold-freedom-of-navigation/

Maersk Group global towage operator Svitzer reports that its Aim for 8 speed initiative has successfully prevented 1,000 tonnes of CO2 from being emitted into the atmosphere.

The initiative asks tug crews to navigate at a maximum speed of eight knots during mobilization and demobilization.

A pilot of the Aim for 8 initiative started in late 2021 across Svitzer’s U.K. operations and is part of the company’s multi-faceted decarbonization strategy that was launched in May 2022. The initiative proves that small behavioral changes, when implemented alongside more ambitious and long-term shifts such as fuel and tug design, can have an immediate and measurable impact on the CO2 emissions of the global fleet.

Svitzer’s global fleet of 400 vessels emits the same every year as 100,000 diesel-powered cars, so any immediate CO2 saving can have a big impact. The speed target of eight knots was chosen based on analysis of Svitzer’s tug fleet while mobilizing to and from a job and asks and incentivizes crews to try to achieve the “sweet spot” of potential fuel efficiency that the company’s analysis identified.

There is a huge potential for speed optimization during mobilization and demobilization, compared to more operationally sensitive moments during a towage job. This is because there is less power demand and more predictable conditions. For some individual tugs, optimizing speed to eight knots during mobilization and demobilization has improved their efficiency by around 20%.

“We’re extremely proud to share that our Aim for 8 initiative has reached a milestone of 1,000 tonnes of CO2 saved after less than a year of pilot implementation in the U.K.,” said Kasper Karlsen, regional COO, Svitzer Europe. “We have been able to make this tangible impact at no cost to our operations and with very little disruption to our way of working, simply by asking our crews to make a small change in behavior and stay below eight knots before and after the towage job.

“We think that this is real proof of the impact that simple adjustments can make on the industry’s sustainability journey. We’re looking forward to implementing Aim for 8 more widely across Svitzer’s global operations and making an even greater impact on our carbon emissions.”

Following its success in the U.K., Aim for 8 will now be implemented across Svitzer’s global operations. This will considerably increase the potential CO2 saving from Svitzer’s operations, contributing to the company’s decarbonization strategy through to 2040. Meanwhile, Svitzer is also continuing to pursue advances in tug design and future fuels that will help propel itself to a carbon neutral future.

Source: https://www.marinelog.com/inland-coastal/coastal/svitzer-tug-speed-reduction-program-saves-1000-tonnes-of-co2/

During a joint fishery patrol in the South Pacific last week, a U.S. Coast Guard cutter requested permission to call in the Solomon Islands – and was denied. The cutter USCGC Oliver Henry had a scheduled replenishment port call in Honiara, intended to enable its mission to help the Solomons prevent illegal fishing. A Coast Guard press officer told Reuters that Solomons officials “did not respond” to a request to enter port, so the vessel diverted about 500 nm from its course to call in Papua New Guinea instead.

The unusual snub follows months after the Solomons government signed a security pact with China, which allows Beijing to stage forces on the island nation’s territory. A leaked draft of the agreement suggests that it will also allow Chinese naval vessels to call for replenishment at Honiara. The deal has raised serious concerns for officials in the U.S. and Australia, since the Solomon Inslands are a natural jumping off point for military operations in the Coral Sea and the South Pacific. In WWII, the U.S. had to engage in a fierce fight to dislodge Japanese forces from the Solomons, and the islands’ strategic location is well-remembered.

The diplomatic brush-off may also have extended to the Oliver Berry’s partner vessel, the Royal Navy patrol ship HMS Spey. The Royal Navy would not confirm whether or not Spey had been turned away, saying only that it is “routine practice” for itineraries to change.

A spokesperson for the Coast Guard told the AP that the U.S. State Department is in dialogue with the Solomons government, and that in future it expects that clearances will be provided for American ships.

HMS Spey, Oliver Berry and personnel and assets from 15 other nations were in the area as part of Operation Island Chief, one of four annual patrols focused on deterring illegal fishing. It was the first time the Royal Navy had joined the 10-day mission.