Cruise ship NORWEGIAN PEARL was hit by fishing vessel GABBY G at around 0640 UTC Jul 30 ESE of Nantucket, USA East Coast. Cruise ship left Boston on Jul 29 for a week-long cruise, she wasn’t damaged except maybe some scratches and dents, while GABBY G sustained serious damages in stb bow area, she was taken to New Bedford, probably on tow. NORWEGIAN PEARL resumed voyage and arrived at Bermuda, Ireland Island, on Jul 31.

New FleetMon Vessel Safety Risk Reports Available: https://www.fleetmon.com/services/vessel-risk-rating/

FPSO SEA EAGLE reported water ingress on Jul 24, she’s positioned in EA field southwest of Warii, Nigeria. As of morning Jul 29, there weren’t yet detailed and timely updates, to figure out what happened, what’s going on and what are ship’s status and condition. AIS seems to be working, latest position received at around 2300 UTC Jul 28. The leak didn’t affect oil storage area, said FPSO operator SHELL.

New FleetMon Vessel Safety Risk Reports Available: https://www.fleetmon.com/services/vessel-risk-rating/

Competition over the world’s maritime resources and territorial disputes over maritime borders are becoming increasingly prominent in international affairs. At the same time, depleted fish stocks and polluted waters make the question of how countries can collectively manage maritime resources a central one, particularly in discussions over climate change.

Against the backdrop of heightened competition in the maritime domain, China has been rapidly modernizing and expanding its naval capabilities thanks to an unprecedented shipbuilding effort. By contrast, the U.S. Navy is struggling to meet its ambitious goals toward expanding its fleet while nevertheless maintaining a demanding operational tempo.

Meanwhile, the resources that lie beneath the ocean’s surface are increasingly at risk of overexploitation. Illegal fishing is devastating already diminished global stocks and may soon present a severe crisis to countries whose populations depend on seafood for their diets. In the South China Sea, competition over fishing rights as well as offshore oil and gas reserves has been a major driver of tensions and conflict.

The maritime domain highlights the tensions between national sovereignty and transnational challenges, between the ocean’s littoral regions as exclusive economic zones and the high seas as a global commons. While often ignored in coverage of international affairs, it features prominently in bilateral, regional and multilateral diplomacy, particularly when it comes to resolving boundary disputes.

WPR has covered maritime issues in detail and continues to examine key questions about what will happen next. Will the United States shore up its naval superiority or continue to cede ground to China? How will the pivot to renewable energy affect competition for maritime resources? Will concerns over depleting fish stocks jumpstart global efforts to improve the state of the world’s oceans? Below are some of the highlights of WPR’s coverage.

Our Most Recent Coverage

Indo-Pacific Ambitions Might Be a Luxury Europe Can’t Afford

In recent years, several European states have sought to project their precious naval assets in the Indo-Pacific region in ways that reflect widely accepted fashions in strategic thinking. But the underlying logic of this thinking now needs to be viewed more critically after the return of interstate war on European soil.

Naval Rivalries

Countries around the world are improving their navies and stepping up their naval activities. That includes China, which has made qualitative and quantitative improvements, but also France and India. All of this stands in contrast to the United States’ struggles to improve the preparedness of its own fleet. These rivalries now include efforts to obtain port access and basing rights, as Russia and China increasingly seek to expand their naval presence overseas.

• What’s driving Vietnam’s efforts to upgrade its military—and in particular its navy, in Vietnam Modernizes Its Military With a Wary Eye on China
• Why China’s military and naval buildup is making some of its neighbors nervous, in China’s Military Advances Have Come With Some Political Downsides
• Why Australia should avoid reducing the AUKUS deal to a submarine purchase, in Australia Can’t Get By on Nuclear Subs Alone
• How a new naval base in Sudan fits into Russia’s strategic plans, in Russia’s Naval Base in Sudan Opens a Long-Sought Gateway to the Red Sea

Illegal Fishing and Pollution

Every fifth fish caught in the world is netted illegally, undermining efforts to officially address the alarming problems caused by overfishing. But with global fish stocks declining by as much as 50 percent, there is mounting pressure to address overfishing—and the governments, including China, that encourage it. Failure to do so could be catastrophic for food systems and economies around the world.

• Why there’s no more time to waste on addressing the impact of climate change, overfishing and seabed mining on the world’s oceans, in Only Urgent Action Will Save the Oceans Now
• Why the Biden administration should make ratifying a treaty protecting marine wildlife a priority, in Bringing the High Seas Biodiversity Treaty Into Port
• How China is using its distant-water fishing fleet to advance its strategic objectives, in China Shows No Signs of Curbing Its Illegal Fishing Industry
• How maritime pollution is driving the global backlash against plastics, in Can the World Win the War on Plastic?

Territorial and Resource Disputes

As varied as they are common, disputes over maritime access have become increasingly significant within domestic and regional politics. Bolivia’s campaign for Pacific Ocean access was a central theme during former President Evo Morales’ years in office. And China’s disputed claims to the South China Sea are a significant driver of political tensions with the affected countries. But recently resolved conflicts, including a long-standing dispute between Australia and East Timor over access to natural gas fields, demonstrate that diplomacy can still be an effective tool.

• Why two islands off the coast of Yemen have become a focus of that country’s civil war, in Yemen’s Small Islands Hold Major Strategic Value
• Why we probably haven’t heard the last word on France and Britain’s dispute over fishing rights, in France and the U.K. Hit Pause on Their Fishing Dispute, but It Isn’t Over
• Why maritime borders are the next flashpoint in territorial disputes, in The Persistence of Borders in a Globalized World
• How Duterte’s effort to downplay the Philippines’ South China Sea territorial dispute with China backfired, in Duterte’s Ingratiating Approach to China Has Been a Bust

Piracy

Piracy remains a problem, particularly in remote, conflict-ridden areas. Countries are increasingly working collaboratively to address this problem, but these efforts are often reactive. Because global waters will always remain difficult to police, lasting solutions to piracy depend more on providing economic opportunities to citizens onshore than eliminating piracy on the water.

• How an Islamist insurgency in northern Mozambique could move from land to sea, in Mozambique Could Become Africa’s Next Piracy Hot Spot
• What’s driving a shift in piracy tactics in the Gulf of Guinea, in Why Piracy Is a Growing Threat in West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea
• How piracy in southeast Asia is evolving despite efforts to tackle it, in Why Southeast Asia Remains a Hotbed for Piracy
• Why piracy remains a persistent problem off the coast of Somalia, in What’s Behind the Resurgence in Piracy Off Somalia’s Coast

Source: https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/competition-and-cooperation-in-the-maritime-domain/

Safetytech Accelerator, launched by Lloyd’s Register, has selected three companies to join its Waypoint 3: Maritime Risk start-up programme, with ShipIn Systems, eyeGauge and Alicia Bots chosen from the more than 100 applicants.

Waypoint 3 is the third iteration of the Safetytech Accelerator programme, launched in February 2022 to work with technology companies focused on tackling major challenges in maritime risk. The initiative exclusively supports high tech start-ups aiming to secure paid pilot projects in the industry.

More than 100 companies applied, of which 22 were approached for further evaluation. Five finalists were invited to pitch in front of a judging panel made up of executives from Lloyd’s Register and Safetytech Accelerator, who made their selection based on three main criteria: commercial readiness, innovation and the potential impact they could make in maritime risk.

ShipIn’s Fleetvision Platform uses visual analytics and AI to improve ship-to-shore collaboration for maritime fleets by alerting shipowners, managers and seafarers to onboard events in real-time.

“The sharing of real-time operational data between ship and shore is one of the latest tech developments that will help deliver a safer and lower risk marine professional environment,” said Osher Perry, Co-Founder and CEO of Shipin.

“We are thrilled to be working with like-minded tech and maritime experts who share our passion for making safer shipping operationally and commercially attractive and look forward to fast-tracking our significant growth plans.”

eyeGauge offers a non-invasive ship digitalisation system that provides tools to support decision making in fleet operations, to improve emissions reduction and environmental compliance.

“Many challenges of maritime transportation like decarbonisation, safety risks, lack of transparency and others can be addressed with digital solutions. But this industry is adopting digital transformation very slowly,” said Rodion Denisyuk, eyeGauge CEO.

“It is very difficult for tech start-ups to navigate this environment and deliver the message to decision-makers. Therefore, we are very pleased and honoured to be selected by the SafetyTech accelerator to get help and support from high-profile mentors and reputable industry partners.”

Alicia Bots offers multipurpose robots designed for accomplishing high risk maritime tasks, such as hull cleaning and inspections.

“The endorsement by Safetytech Acclerator is a validation that the shipping industry is adapting to new technologies which embrace safety and efficiency. Alicia Bots provides proactive hull cleaning and inspections robots, which operate autonomously and are deployed by ship’s crew providing hull cleaning robots as a service,” said Inder Mukhopadhyay, CEO at Alicia Bots.

Between July and October, the Safetytech Accelerator team will work with the three companies to develop opportunities to pilot their technologies, as well as offering funding to support those pilot projects.

“The standard of Waypoint entries were high this year, however eyeGauge, Alicia Bots and ShipIn Systems stood out as excellent contenders for our programme. We believe they have the potential to make a positive impact in reducing risk and increasing safety in the maritime industry,” said Nadia Echchihab, Safetytech Accelerator Head of Innovation Programmes.

“We look forward to working together over the coming months, boosting their value propositions, and supporting them in generating new business opportunities.”

Source: https://smartmaritimenetwork.com/2022/07/27/safetytech-accelerator-selects-shipin-systems-eyegauge-and-alicia-bots/