Maritime Security Watch (International)
US Navy uses 40,000lb explosive to test warship in 'Full Ship Shock Trial'
The United States Navy has been carrying out 'Full Ship Shock Trials' off the country's east coast.
The navy said the schedule for the tests "complies with environmental mitigation requirements, respecting known migration patterns of marine life in the test area."
The US navy conducts shock trials of new ship designs using live explosives to confirm that our warships can continue to meet demanding mission requirements under harsh conditions they might encounter in battle," the navy said in a statement. The first-in-class aircraft carrier was designed using advanced computer modelling methods, testing, and analysis to ensure the ship is hardened to withstand battle conditions, and these shock trials provide data used in validating the shock hardness of the ship.
Upon completion of the explosive tests, the ship will enter a planned incremental availability for six months of modernisation, maintenance, and repairs before being deployed for operations
Source: Voice of America
Maritime Economy Watch (Global)
Corinth Canal: A Man-Made Waterway
You must have recently heard a lot about the Suez canal, and you must also be aware of another canal called the Panama canal. But do you know which is the deepest canal in the world? It is the Corinth Canal that connects the Gulf of Corinth in the Ionian Sea with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. It cuts through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth and separates the Peloponnese from the Greek mainland. Let’s know more about the world’s deepest canal.
Corinth canal is an enormous man-made waterway, the steep walls soar 79 meters tall, making this the world’s deepest canal. But in places, the narrow water channel is less than 25 meters wide. The canal is vital archery for more than 11,000 ships a year. The canal was dug through the isthmus at sea level and has no locks. It is 6.4 kilometers (4 mi) in length and only 21.4 meters (70 ft) wide at its base
When engineers completed the canal in 1893, boats were a lot smaller, today daring skippers to run the gauntlet in ships that only just fit the canal’s steep sides, and their passage provides one of Greece’s most spectacular aerial sites.
As the canal is difficult to navigate for large vessels, it is mostly used by smaller recreational boats. A notable exception occurred on 9 October 2019, when MS Braemar, a 195 meter-long passenger ship became the widest and longest ship to cruise through the canal.
Source: National Geographic UK
MSF Interviews - Episode 1: Quad Head of States Meeting and its Implications
Maritime Exclusive
MSF Interviews - Episode 1: QUAD Head of States Meeting and its Implications
Recently the leaders of the QUAD met for the first time as a group after Joe Biden administration came into office in the USA, in order to put forwards their agenda in the Indo-Pacific region. This was the first multilateral head of states meeting after Joe Biden took charge as the President of the United States. Therefore, an evaluation of the Biden administration’s strategy in the Indo-Pacific region and its implications for regional security in the rapidly changing political scenario is essential.
Keeping the recent QUAD head of states' meeting in view, Maritime Study Forum (MSF) organized an interview with Commodore (R) Syed Mohammed Obaidullah, SI(M), Member Board of Advisors MSF and Founding Director, National Centre for Maritime Policy Research, in order to deliberate on this hot issue and its implications on the region. Attorney Muslim Bin Aqeel, Research Associate MSF and Admiralty and Maritime Lawyer, moderated this interview which ended up on a significant note.
Maritime Security & Diplomacy Watch (Global)
Understanding the Somalia-Kenya Maritime Dispute
The United Nations’s highest court is due to begin hearings on a maritime boundary dispute between Somalia and Kenya, after years of delays in a case that has strained the neighbors’ diplomatic relations.
Here is a video by TRT World that briefly explains the maritime dispute between both nations.
Source: TRT World
Covering more than 70 percent of our planet, oceans are among the earth’s most valuable natural resources. They govern the weather, clean the air, help feed the world, and provide a living for millions. They also are home to most of the life on earth, from microscopic algae to the blue whale, the largest animal on the planet. Yet we’re bombarding them with pollution. By their very nature—with all streams flowing to rivers, all rivers leading to the sea—the oceans are the endpoint for so much of the pollution we produce on land, however, far from the coasts, we may be. And from dangerous carbon emissions to choking plastic to leaking oil to constant noise, the types of ocean pollution humans generate are vast. As a result, collectively, our impact on the seas is degrading their health at an alarming rate.
Source: NRDC
Maritime Security Watch (National)
Pakistan Navy submarines conduct live weapons firing at Arabian Sea
Pakistan Navy fleet submarines have demonstrated combat readiness in a live weapons firing in North Arabian Sea. Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Amjad Khan Niazi was present among other senior officers at the occassion.
The live weapons firing included torpedoes and anti-ship missiles to engage the intended targets. According to DGPR Navy, the successful firing reaffirmed Navy's capability and operational readiness.
Chief of Naval Staff expressed satisfaction over the preparedness of the Navy and reaffirmed the resolve to ensure defence of national maritime frontiers.
Source: Director General Public Relations - Navy
Aquaculture in Thar
A recent report by VOA View 360 presented the benefit of aquaculture in Gorano Dam water reserve in Islamkot, Tharparkar.
The water disposed from coal production in Thar coal project has been disposed to be collected in Gorano Dam reservoir spread over 500 acres. Various types of edible fishes were cultivated in the reservoir to provide locals with a source of food and income. The reservoir also attracted a diversity of fish-eating migratory birds.
The Godano Dam has also been subject to criticism from rights and advocacy groups for its possible socio-environmental implications for a long time. However, the Dam has yielded positive results from aquaculture and has attracted biodiversity and economic opportunities.
Source: Voice of America
Bundal Island - The First Cut
A short documentary by Tariq Alexander Qaiser on deteriorating situation of mangroves around Bundal Island.
The producer of documentary put light on the issue in their own words:
"The cutting of trees here has escalated to a pace that is undeniably unsustainable. It HAS increased on Bundal Island nowadays...
The mangrove forests on Karachi’s Islands ARE in trouble, Karachi needs them… & will loose them if...
This short documentary shows a clump of trees on Bundal Island transitioning from being lush & full to being cut and left as ‘Bhandar’ (leftover stumps of trees). The harvesting of drying branches for individual needs has been ongoing for centuries. It was sustainable. This has changed. The trees are now being clear-cut. The wood is used for burning, making coal, or packing cartons. Its market value is cheap & lucrative. But then, it’s free... & the men cutting the wood are poor.
It’s an old story, but what has changed in the last few months is that the cutting is done with impunity, & at a visibly much faster pace..."
The idea of #BlueEconomy was discussed for the first time by Minister of Maritime Affairs, Ali Haider Zaidi, on floor of parliament today.
Minister told the house that the concept of Blue Economy was mentioned in Holy Quran 1400 years ago. He told the house that PNSC has returned loans of Rs. 4.7 billion by itself as an autonomous body and has acquired all its loans without any involvement or aid from government. Bidding for a new bulk cargo terminal at Port Qasim has also been carried out. Talking about developments at Port Qasim, the Minister told that after dredging of Port Qasim in 2019, now even large vessels can navigate at night. Port Qasim was also the only port open during #COVID19 in the region, handling record 270 vessels during March-April 2020.
He further added that a plan for Port Qasim's industrial area has been approved and is being forwarded to ECC for approval.
He also added about initiatives taken by government for Gwadar Port. East Bay Express shall be completed by mid-2021, and a breakwater will be built.
Video courtesy: HUMNewsPakistan
Maritime Security Watch (Global)
U.S. Navy Accuses Russian Jets of ‘Unsafe’ Mediterranean Interception
The United States accused Russia of intercepting one of its patrol planes over the Mediterranean Sea near Syria in an “unsafe, unprofessional” manner.
The U.S. Navy released footage showing two Russian Su-35 fighter jets intercepting a P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft from the U.S. 6th Fleet, which oversees operations in the region. The footage, which was filmed Tuesday, shows the Russian planes hovering meters away from the P-8A’s wings.
The incident marks the third time in the past six weeks that a Russian military aircraft has approached a U.S. patrol plane over the Mediterranean.
Source: The Moscow Times
Maritime Security Watch (Global)
Trump has operationalized US National Gaurd Units in three states of California, Washington and New York funded by federal government with the mission to combat COVID-19. State governors have urged term to nationalize the efforts to fight this pandemic. Most importantly, US two reserved Naval hospitals name UNSC Mercy and its sister ship Comfort have left from San Diego on monday with 800 navy personels to lessen the burden on health system of US. One will be stationed in East Coast and other in Western Coast.
Maritime Security Watch ( National)
Romania acknowledges Pak Navy in collaborative maritime security:
Romanian Naval Chief has appreciated Pakistan Navy’s role in collaborative maritime security.
During a meeting with Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi at Romanian Headquarters in Bucharest, both the dignitaries looked forward to further enhancing the interaction in diverse fields of naval collaboration.
Source: Radio Pakistan
