eBlue Economy

Adm. Rabiee: Navigation through the Canal is uninterrupted and the bulk carrier GLORY equipment failure is being dealt with professionally during its transit

Adm. Ossama Rabiee, Chairman and Managing Director of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA), has announced that the SCA salvage unit has dealt with the sudden technical failure in machinery of the bulk carrier MV GLORY in a very professional manner, the incident that took place at the km 38 (Canal marking). The vessel, which is among the North convoy on its way from Turkey to China, is now being towed to km 51 (Canal marking). H.E. is reassuring the maritime navigation world that traffic through the Canal was uninterrupted as 26 North-bound vessels are already in the waterway, and the…

Smugglers Are Abandoning Migrants on Rocky Island in Mona Passage

Monito Island, an uninhabited outcropping of American territory in the Mona Passage, is becoming a regular destination for migrant smugglers, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Twice in the last week, cutters have diverted to Monito in order to rescue migrants who were abandoned on the island by smugglers, some 40 nm short of the full crossing to Puerto Rico. On Tuesday, the crew of the USCGC Richard Dixon rescued 17 migrants who had been left abandoned and stranded by smugglers on the rocky island. To recover the survivors from the face of the near-vertical shoreline, Dixon’s small boat…

Beirut Blast Inquiry Brings Charges Against Former Prime Minister

The long-stalled judicial inquiry into the 2020 Port of Beirut explosion got a jump-start this week. On Monday, investigating judge Tarek Bitar reopened the probe and swiftly charged the nation’s former prime minister, Hassan Diab. Diab and 14 other officials have been summoned for questioning in February, according to Reuters. It is the second time that the former prime minister has been charged in connection with the blast, following an initial indictment issued by Bitar’s predecessor. However, Lebanon’s political establishment has stonewalled the investigation for more than two years, and it is uncertain whether Bitar will be able to gain enough…

Improving the Speed of Cyberdefense: Seven Key Metrics

You are a bridge officer on a 12,000 TEU container vessel in the Kill Van Kull Channel, heading west towards the Bayonne Bridge with a pilot on board. It’s a cloudless sunny day. As you pass Constable Hook Reach, you feel the ship veer hard to port and your speed appears to increase. Although the bridge instruments show your expected speed, location, and rudder position, the rudder is, in fact, hard over to port and your speed has increased to 12 knots. The pilot’s PPU shows the vessel horribly deviating from the assigned course and speed, adding to the confusion. The…

FMC Reports Increase in D&D Claims as Carrier Rulemaking Proceeds

The Federal Maritime Commission is reporting that it has received a strong response to the proposed rulemaking for key parts of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 focusing on fees and the business practices of the leading carriers. The FMC is extending its process to solicit additional input while it also reported a strong increase in the complaints received in the second half of 2022. In less than seven months since the act became law, the FMC staff estimates that more than $700,000 in charges have been refunded by carriers due to complaints filed over Demurrage and Detention…

Study: U.S. Will Run Out of Anti-Ship Missiles in a Fight With China

America’s military possesses sophisticated precision weapons, but it doesn’t have enough of them for a major naval conflict with China, according to a new study by Washington think tank CSIS. The war in Ukraine has woken up the U.S. defense establishment to the burn rate for munitions in modern industrial warfare. Decades of war in the Middle East have honed America’s capabilities for countering terrorist groups, but near-peer conflict is another matter. At peak intensity last summer, Russian forces were shelling Ukraine’s front lines at a rate of 40,000 artillery rounds a day, while launching salvos of dozens of guided…

Foreign Exchange Crisis Leaves Pakistan Struggling to Pay for Imports

A severe foreign exchange crisis in Pakistan is hitting importers hard, particularly for oil and for containerized freight, and it has the potential to reshape substantial parts of the nation’s trading ties. Pakistan’s national reserves of dollars – the currency of choice for foreign trade – have fallen to less than $4.5 billion, the lowest level in eight years. A combination of political upheaval, natural disasters, inflation and high energy prices have rocked the nation’s economy, while a steady outflow of foreign debt payments have depleted its reserves. “This is a very grave situation. If things get worse, Pakistan will…

French Authorities Hunt for Source of Plastic Pellet Spill

Environmental authorities in France are livid over a wave of plastic nurdles washing up on the pristine shores of Brittany, where the tiny white pellets have become known as the “white tide” or “mermaid’s tears.” The source vessel is unknown, but local and national officials have asked prosecutors to find and charge the anonymous perpetrator. Nurdle pollution can interfere with tourism and fishing, and it has been linked to deformities in marine life. The problem is widespread, but it gained attention after the sinking of the feeder X-Press Pearl off the coast of Sri Lanka in 2021. That accident released nearly 1,700 tonnes of white…

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