Cruise Ship Arrives in New York with 44-foot Whale Carcass on Its BowBy Steve Gorman May 12, 2024Screenshot from a video circulating on social media that shows a whale carcass on the bow of cruise ship MSC Meraviglia in New York’s Port of Brooklyn.Marine conservationists and government scientists are seeking clues to the mystery of how a 44-foot whale carcass ended up on the bow of a cruise liner, where it was discovered as the ship approached New York City’s Port of Brooklyn over the weekend.A necropsy, the animal equivalent of an autopsy, identified the deceased marine mammal as a mature female sei whale, an endangered species typically found in deep waters far from land, the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society said on Wednesday.One key question is whether the whale’s death came before or after its contact with the vessel, according to the non-profit organization, based in Hampton Bays, New York.An online statement posted by the society, whose team conducted the necropsy on Tuesday, said the exam revealed evidence of tissue trauma along whale’s right shoulder blade region, and a right flipper fracture. The creature’s gastrointestinal tract was full of food, it said.Most of the whale’s organs were sampled, along with tissue and bone, for toxicology and pathology analysis, according to the society.”The tissue and bone samples collected will help biologists determine if the vessel interaction occurred pre or post mortem,” the group said in its statement.(Photo: Atlantic Marine Conservation Society)It said the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s law enforcement office was also investigating the incident.The whale’s corpse was carried into port on Saturday.The conservation society said the whale was then towed to shore at Sandy Hook, New Jersey, to conduct the necropsy.Sei whales, members of the baleen branch of cetaceans that filter-feed on plankton and krill, take their name from the Norwegian word for pollock, a fish they often run with at sea. They are known as exceptionally fast swimmers, capable of reaching speeds of more than 34 miles per hour (55kph), according to NOAA.They dwell mostly in subtropical, temperate and subpolar seas around the world, primarily the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans. In summer, they are commonly found in the Gulf of Maine and on Georges Bank and Stellwagen Bank in the western North Atlantic.

Source: Cruise Ship Arrives In New York With 44-Foot Whale

Olympic Flame Sails into Marseille Aboard 128-year-old Tall Ship By Clotaire Achi and Julien Pretot May 8, 2024 © catherinelprod / Adobe Stock The Olympic flame landed on French soil amid tight security on Wednesday, firing the starting gun on a summer extravaganza of sport that President Emmanuel Macron hopes will showcase the splendours of France and burnish his legacy. The flame arrived in Marseille, a port city in southern France founded by Greek merchants, after a 12-day trip from Greece onboard the Belem, a 128-year-old three-masted tall ship that once transported sugar from France’s colonies in the West Indies to the metropole. The torch was brought to land by Florent Manaudou, France’s 2012 Olympic men’s 50 meters freestyle swimming champion, who handed it to Paralympic athlete Nantenin Keita, a 400 meters gold medalist at the Rio Games in 2016. She then passed it on to Marseille-born rapper Jul, who lit the cauldron in front of an ecstatic crowd estimated at 150,000. Earlier a flotilla of pleasure boats had welcomed the Belem to French shores. “It marks the end of preparations, the Games arrive in the life of the French people. The flame is here, we can be proud,” Macron said. Some 7,000 law enforcement officers including snipers and dog units secured Marseille’s Old Port, a stress test for the Paris 2024 organisers with France on its highest state of security alert against a complex geopolitical backdrop. “There’s a huge security issue at stake. We will be ready. We will be on alert until the last second,” Macron said. “It’s an unprecedented level of security,” Interior minister Gerald Darmanin said. “Life goes on in Marseille but under great security.” From Marseille, the torch will continue on an 11-week odyssey that will see it criss-cross France and visit French overseas territories in the Caribbean as well as the Indian and Pacific oceans. In all it will be carried by some 10,000 torchbearers before reaching Paris on July 26 for the Games’ opening ceremony. Instead of a traditional opening ceremony, held in a stadium, France has planned a ritzy river parade along a six-kilometer stretch of the Seine, ending at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Southern charm Sun-baked Marseille, France’s second city, provides a different spectacle to the formal elegance of Paris and large crowds gathered around the Old Port to watch. “It was the obvious choice,” Tony Estanguet, the president of the Paris 2024 organizing committee, said of Marseille, which was founded around 600 BC by Greek settlers from Phocea. Despite a history of gang crime and poverty, its turquoise creeks and Mediterranean accents encapsulate the French southern charms that have beguiled artists and movie stars for generations. Sports competitions have long offered nations the opportunity to exert soft power and advance their geopolitical goals. This week Chinese President Xi Jinping voiced support for Macron’s call for a global truce during the Paris 2024 Games. Suspending armed conflicts under an “Olympic truce” is a longstanding tradition. French officials hope Xi’s endorsement is a sign that he could use his influence to persuade Russia to honour a truce in Ukraine when President Vladimir Putin travels to China later this month. Paris itself has come to take an increasingly important role in France’s diplomatic and commercial strategies. Last year, Pharrell Williams staged his debut menswear collection for Louis Vuitton along Paris’ Pont Neuf bridge, with large crowds gathered along the banks of the Seine for a glimpse of his celebrity audience.

Source: Olympic Flame Sails Into Marseille Aboard 128-Year-Old

Seawork, 11th-13th June 2024, Southampton Posted 2024-02-12 11:09:38 by Seawork is Europe’s largest on-water commercial marine and workboat exhibition which boasts an international audience of visitors providing a proven platform to build business networks and contacts. Marine Civils is co-located with Seawork. Seawork provides 12,000 m2 of fully ventilated undercover halls, over 500 exhibitors and over 70 vessels, floating plant and equipment on the quayside and pontoons. On-water demonstrations take place daily and the exhibition hosts a highly regarded Conference programme, chaired by industry experts.

Source: MSE International – News

Gosport Marine Festival 18th May 2024, Gosport Posted 2024-04-19 09:55:37 by Gosport festival taking place Saturday 18th May 2024 offers free water sports activities and a fun day out for all. This annual event iefree to attend thanks to support from key partners that include: Gosport Borough Council, Hampshire County Council and Haslar Marina (Boatfolk Marinas). This one-day festival aims to make the most out of the town’s marine location, heritage and culture by providing a fun day of activities, entertainment, market and exhibitors. Watersports Free have-a-go sessions for sailing, kayaking and paddleboarding (SUP) with professional instructors and all equipment provided (5 years and up). Centred around the Cockle Pond boating lake in Walpole Park. These activities are thanks to support of the GoSport Activity Centre, Stokes Bay Sailing Club and notably the Andrew Simpson Foundation. Having a go extends onto dry land with additional activities such as climbing walls, axe-throwing, archery and bouncy castles. This is thanks to the support of local organisations including the Sea Cadets, Gosport Scouts and a multitude of others. Entertainment Live music, food and drink is centred around the Millennium Timespace performance area, just metres from the Gosport ferry with views over Portsmouth Harbour to the Spinnaker. Weather permitting, the festivities will extend into the evening to allow all participants to celebrate in the success of the day. Haslar Marina Open Day A range of vessels moored at the marina will be open to the public on static display. This represents a unique opportunity to get down onto the pontoons or view from the Gosport Millenium Pier which extends out into Portsmouth Harbour to the Lightship, an iconic landmark on the Solent. Exhibitors, Market Stalls and Art Show Within Trinity Church and on the surrounding green community stalls, traders and an exhibition by local artists link us to our marine heritage and culture. The idea opportunity to learn about what the coming season will bring and support local entrepreneurship and crafts. For more information and to sign up to activities visit gosportmarinefestival.uk

Source: MSE International – News

DEEPWATER MOORINGS – LANKHORST FIRST 25 YEARS – THE DRIVE FOR INNOVATION30-04-2024It’s more than 25 years since the first deepwater moorings were successfully installed offshore Brazil – the mooring equivalent of putting a Man on the Moon. Today, the same spirit of innovation is driving the development of a new generation of offshore moorings for the full range of offshore energy platforms, wind turbines, wave devices and solar platforms.In 1998, Portuguese rope maker Quintas & Quintas (now Lankhorst Offshore) had made the decision to diversify their fishing and maritime business units into the offshore market. It was a timely move. There was growing interest in the development of offshore oil and gas fields in ever deeper waters. Traditional methods of mooring: steel wire and chain, the default offshore moorings of the period, were just too heavy for water depths beyond 800m. The self-weight of the mooring line would have required a significantly larger platform than necessary to compensate.Petrobras set the challenge with the requirement for a polyester fiber rope mooring system for PETROBRAS P-36 – the world’s biggest semi-submersible at the time – in the Roncador Field at a water depth of 1360m. The mooring system consisted of 16 legs in a taut leg configuration, each 1800m leg with a minimum break load of 1000 tons. The 1800m polyester legs were divided into three segments for easier handling by anchor handling vessels. The contract for the mooring lines was split among four suppliers including Quintas & Quintas.“ We learned a lot from the first deepwater mooring lines ,” said Sergio Leite, sales director, Lankhorst Offshore. “ We developed the Gama98® (in honor of the Portuguese famous sailor Vasco da Gama) polyester rope construction which involved splicing 12 sub-ropes to produce a 100% torque free rope – something we’d never done before. In 6 months, we had designed a 1000 T break strength mooring rope, double the breaking strength of existing fiber ropes. With every break strength test we learn something new. On the first Break Strength test we were 20% below, on the 2nd test 5% below and on the 3rd test we achieved 1000 T. ”For subsequent deepwater projects, the technical focus shifted to rope manufacturing tolerances. Initially rope length tolerances of +/- 2% for deepwater mooring lines were not uncommon. However, for the Tahiti Spar in the GoM stricter tolerances were required. The spar had 12, 254mm diameter mooring lines, each segment measuring approx. 900m in length and with a MBL of 1907 ton. The mooring lines had to be within +/- 0.5% of the required length after post- installation tensioning. Reducing the rope length tolerance had several practical and financial benefits. Overall mooring line length accuracy is important so that the top chain length can be minimised. A 0.5% line length “safety margin” in the top chain could be worth several millions of dollars on savings to the project.Sergio Leite, again. “For the Tahiti project we developed the industry’s first rope Length Measurement System (LMS) for accurate length measurement under a controlled tension. The rope was pre-tensioned to 1% MBL for a certain length measurement increment. For Tahiti, we produced tether lengths consistently within 1m of the nominal length – an amazing achievement and a first for the deepwater mooring industry.”Committed to optimising deepwater mooring line production for future projects, Lankhorst invested in a new test machine dedicated to testing deepwater tethers. Capable of break testing ropes up to 1200 tonnes MBL, the test facility was the first in fibre rope industry capable of handling test samples up to 20m.Succeeding landmark projects have included Lankhorst Offshore completing the design and manufacture of polyester rope tethers for major projects such as the Thunderhawk semi-submersible, Cascade & Chinook FPSO, Lucius Spar, Goliat FPSO and Aasta Hansteen Spar platform – in 2014, this was the largest single order for deepwater mooring ropes, and believed to be the largest ever order in the global synthetic fibre rope industry. The Goliat FPSO set a world record for the highest Minimum Breaking Load (MBL) ropes ever produced at 2579T, with a diameter of 299mm.Today, the GAMA98® rope construction for deepwater mooring has been replaced by Cabral 512® which uses less twist, with a slight increase in breaking strength and stiffness; overall a rope better suited to deepwater mooring. Cabral 512® rope construction was a development from Lankhorst Euronete Brasil. Meanwhile, GAMA98® rope construction has found new application in floating offshore wind turbines and wave energy devices.Rui Faria, managing director, Lankhorst Offshore is confident of Lankhorst Offshore’s ability to meet the offshore mooring challenges for future offshore energy projects. “ In 2024, we’re able to draw on two World Class production facilities in Portugal and Brazil to meet the growing demand for offshore mooring lines. More

FULLY CERTIFIED CBOS SHEAVE RESISTANT SPLICE FOR DEEPWATER DEPLOYMENT AND RECOVERY30-04-2024The first, fully certified, fibre rope splice for CBOS (Cyclic Bend Over Sheave) use in deepwater deployment and recovery systems has been developed by Lankhorst Offshore. The sheave resistant splice will allow ropes to be lengthened or shortened as needed whilst still retaining the full lifting capacity across the complete rope length. The patented splice development eliminates a weakness that has until now limited the application of spliced fibre ropes in CBOS crane deepwater deployment and recovery systems.End-to-End Rope Splice – Qualification CompleteIn 2023, Lankhorst Offshore reported DNV Endorsement of Qualification Plan End-to-End rope splice for the LANKO®DEEP rope, the company has now completed certification under DNV Technology qualification management and verification DNV-SE-0160. Thereby demonstrating the viability of fibre rope-based, deepwater deployment and recovery projects using smaller vessel sizes when compared with larger vessels needed for steel wire rope.LANKO®DEEP TR is the first crane rope that can be spliced while still retaining the holding capacity in use which is the same as for the unspliced and equally used rope. The technology qualification further extends the utility of LANKO®DEEP by allowing the- joining together of a socket-and-tail termination and a long length of LANKO®DEEP TR crane rope, with a permissible nominal rope diameter difference between the joined ends for socket-and-tail terminations of up to 30%. Attaching a larger diameter tail end, the part expected to wear out the first, creates extra capacity at this part thus increasing the service life and reliability of the overall rope length.- joining together of long lengths of LANKO®DEEP TR rope which includes the cutting of a used rope and splicing-in a length of new or used rope or extending the length of a new or used rope with another length of new or used rope. This allows the reach of the DRS system to be easily modified between projects, or re-spliced in the event of damage to the rope, a significant advantage over steel wire rope.“With the Technology Qualification of LANKO®DEEP TR, Lankhorst has set the standard for the operation of deepwater deployment and recovery systems,” says Sergio Leite, sales director, Lankhorst Offshore. “Designed to maximise deepwater crane performance while increasing uptime availability of the DRS, LANKO®DEEP TR allows rope length to be increased to reach the deepest waters in the world.”For more information on LANKO®DEEP TR and Deepwater Deployment, visit www.lankhorstoffshore.com.

RENEWED ENERGY – NEW OFFSHORE RENEWABLE ENERGY LEAD30-04-2024As Lankhorst Offshore gears up for the next phase in renewable offshore energy, it has appointed Neil Schulz as Global Sales Director for Renewable Energy. Mooring rope construction, end terminations and production optimization are just some areas in the spotlight.Floating offshore wind mooring turbines are the future of renewable wind energy. Bigger and further offshore to maximise their efficiency, however, they face significant mooring challenges. Prior to joining Lankhorst Offshore, Neil Schulz had spent the last three years improving his knowledge of anchors and tensioning equipment for mooring systems at a leading international supplier of subsea anchor systems. It has given him a valuable insight into the dynamics of mooring, developing further his extensive knowledge of fibre rope mooring and deployment.The Offshore renewables energy market brings many new challenges for mooring systems in shallow waters. Depending on the type of the floater concept used, the mooring system may require ropes that are moderately stiff, or very stiff and in some other cases they may require ropes with high elongation to reduce peak loads. Meeting these demands is where Lankhorst Offshore excels and can offer a range of rope products to suit the project requirements for floating offshore wind.  Over the past 6 years, Lankhorst Offshore has supplied Gama98® Dyneema® DM20 mooring lines for many floating energy offshore trials. These include WindFloat Atlantic located offshore Viana, Portugal, Kincardine Floating Wind farm, offshore Aberdeen, Scotland, TetraSpar® Demo, offshore Stavanger, Norway and EFGL in the Mediterranean, France.“Because of these projects, we have unique experience of the challenges involved in mooring floating wind turbines,” notes Schulz. “We know what works and what doesn’t work which allows us to direct our research and product development efforts more efficiently. So that when we advise on the best mooring solution for a particular floater, we’re able to back it up with solid engineering know-how.”For more information on Lankhorst Offshore and Renewable Energy contact Neil Schulz, email: [email protected]

Tokyo medallists smash world record for fastest Irish Sea crossingJohn Gimson and Anna Burnet take on challenge to raise awareness of marine pollution27 Sep 23 British Sailing Team athlete John Gimson believes the maritime industry is destined to decarbonise after he and partner Anna Burnet championed sustainable travel while breaking the record for the fastest crossing of the Irish Sea by a sailing craft.Gimson and Burnet took to the Irish Sea on their Nacra 17 on Tuesday (26 September) with the aim of raising awareness of the climate crisis and the problems of environmental degradation in maritime travel, hoping to issue a wake-up call to the industry.They set themselves the challenge of breaking the world record for sailing from Belfast Ballyholme to Port Patrick and back – accompanied by the Artemis eFoiler, a state-of-the-art transport vessel that foils and is electric.Overcoming difficult conditions, the pair managed to comfortably beat the record by seven minutes, returning to Belfast Stranraer just over 90 minutes after their departure. The Team GB sailors, who took home silver from Tokyo 2020, have earned their fair share of plaudits for the feat but this was much more than a record-breaking exercise.The pair, who are partners on and off the water, are striving to bring about change in the maritime industry, hoping to decarbonise a sector that currently accounts for about 2.8% of global greenhouse gas emissions.“There’s obviously the carbon issue,” Gimson said. “I think for people who live in those areas, particularly, I’m sure there’s a lot of health issues within the populations from the fumes of ferries and boats, particularly when the winds blowing into the harbour. Any impact we can make on that will be great.”“We were absolutely shattered when we finished it [the challenge], but very relieved.”The need to go greenWhile recognising the need to push their limits so to truly garner attention and raise awareness for their cause, Burnet admitted to a similar feeling of relief after a physically taxing voyage.Burnet said: “The main reason for us was really to raise awareness of the need to make the marine industry a greener place.“In order to raise awareness, we wanted to do something that was going to be a challenge and that would garner some attention. We’re pretty relieved. It was challenging with the conditions, at times a little scary.”Artemis, headed by two-time Olympic champion Iain Percy, have been supporting their campaign, providing the innovative electric vessel used for the voyage.Aided by the fact Percy is also Gimson and Burnet’s coach, Burnet hailed the relationship built between the pair and the company.She added: “We’ve got great relationships with them, they’re helping us a lot. And they’re all really good people.“Their company is really growing so fast. What they’re on to with this technology is going to be huge. Foiling technology is the future of maritime travel.“It was pretty special for us to come here, to do the challenge with them, and also just see what they’ve got here.”

Ladi Ajayi: growing up with sailing We met Race Across the World’s Ladi Ajayi at West Reservoir Centre to find out more about what first inspired him to sail   If you watched the latest series of the BBC’s Race Across the World, you’ll recognise Ladi who took on the challenge alongside his 25-year-old daughter Monique. When he’s not competing on national television, Ladi works as a sport consultant. We caught up with him to find out more about how he discovered sailing aged 13 and what he’d like to see change in the sport for future generations. Growing up and PE lessons Ladi spent his childhood in Hackney, London, growing up in a family of four – although he tells us his extended family is much bigger.  “There was always something to do, 24 hours a day. Even as a kid I had a wide circle of friends. It was a brilliant childhood in the sense that there was more freedom to get out and about. Without the electronics, you were physically active all the time and made your own entertainment.  “I had friends that were skateboarders, BMX riders, footballers, street hockey players and rugby players. These activities shape the people you become and it’s important to remember that not everyone who comes from deprived areas or inner city are labelled as troublesome. Out of those different places, greatness has come.” Ladi was offered a fantastic range of activities through his local primary and comprehensive school, and it was here that he first discovered his love for sailing.  “The education authority at the time was for the whole of London and was very forward thinking so we were able to do things such as ice-skating, badminton and squash as well as the obligatory cross country around the field. It was brilliant in terms of opportunities to taste and try different things.” “Sailing was my thing” “I must have been about 13 when an English teacher decided that this group of particularly boisterous boys might benefit from some kind of adventurous activity, so we were taken in a PE lesson to the North London Banbury Reservoir.  “I got in a Wayfarer for the first time, and it was just…wow. That feeling of being in control of something and the freedom- that same evening I got home from school and said, ‘I’m going sailing’.” That evening it took Ladi three buses to get from Hackney to Banbury in North London.  “I think the sailing instructors were a bit shocked, they had told me to come back when I was ready but there I was. From then on, I went sailing every day and all weekends too. That was me done.” As well as the sailing, the youth leaders and the instructors at the centre left a lasting impression, teaching life skills that went way beyond what he learnt on the water. “They gave me guidance, taught me how to conduct myself, how to negotiate and meet with people.” He explains. “And those things have stuck with me for life. I then went on to meet all kinds of people through racing and being part of the NSSA (National School Sailing Association). Some of the people I met at these regattas had never seen a black person in their life.” After finishing school, Ladi went to university to study fashion but quickly discovered his career and his heart sat firmly with sport.  He returned to college to study recreation and leisure management and today works as Head of Sports at AKD Solutions.  “Everybody should feel like they belong” Image courtesy of the BBC “I do think the sport has changed since I was at school in terms of resources available and how you access it. The expense of sport in general has grown so activities that require equipment are prohibited for many families.  “Everybody should know their local watersport centre exists and feel like they belong. I know that within the borough of Hackey somewhere there’s a world champion, an Olympian, someone who could be doing the Fastnet, The Ocean Race or SailGP. It’s just we’ve not been able to expose them to the opportunities and wonder of the sport.” Race Across the World  Image courtesy of the BBC Did Ladi and Monique have a strategy when they applied for Race Across the World?  “No, we didn’t.  We pretty much decided to see what happens and just go with it. Monique’s overall strategy was budget which she did really well with – I was denied oranges for the whole journey! “It was actually Monique who wanted to apply for the show and the experience we had was so special. Having that intense long period of time with my daughter was of the main reasons I agreed to do it. It was one of those moments where I’m never going to have the opportunity again.” Don’t miss the full interview with Ladi in the next edition of the RYA Magazine.   Read more about our Together on Water strategy.

Source: Ladi Ajayi: growing up with sailing

Five-medal haul for British Sailing TeamOne year out from Paris 2024, Britain’s elite sailors took on the world’s best in Marseille19 Jul 23 Britain’s elite sailors brought home five medals from the Paris 2024 test event – a promising sign just one year out from next summer’s Games.Four silver medals and one bronze were won as fourteen of the country’s best dinghy, windsurf and kite racers took on the world’s best in Marseille, the host city for the Paris 2024 sailing competition.Among those picking up silverware were Tokyo 2020 medallists Emma Wilson, John Gimson and Anna Burnet. Wilson scooped silver in the foiling iQFOiL class, due to make its Olympic debut next summer, while Gimson and Burnet took bronze in the Nacra 17 multihull class.Michael Beckett continued his run of form in the ILCA 7 dinghy class, formerly known as the Laser, narrowly missing the top spot in a final-race battle with Australian Olympic champion Matt Wearn.Ellie Aldridge and Connor Bainbridge completed the podium line-up with silvers in the Formula Kite class, also new for Paris 2024.The path to ParisThe eight-day regatta was the first of four test events run by Paris 2024 organisers to fine-tune their processes – and for the athletes it was a dress rehearsal for the Games with only one entry per nation in each of the ten classes.It was also a key performance indicator in the run-up to Paris 2024, where Britain will aim to maintain its title as the world’s most successful Olympic sailing nation.Mark Robinson, RYA Performance Director, said: “It’s been a great event here in Marseille with a range of conditions to test all involved. With so many equipment changes and new sailors this cycle it was important for us to equal the 2019 Test Event haul of 5 medals as a platform to springboard from for the games proper next year.”Marseille threw plenty of conditions at the sailors over the week, from light, fickle winds to Provence’s famous mistral breeze.Combined with temperatures of up to 37 degrees Celsius it made for tricky racing conditions but provided a useful insight into what the sailors may face next summer.British sailors finished in the top ten in nine of the classes. See the full results.Team GB selectionSelection for the test event was made by the RYA’s Olympic Selection Committee, and is a key step in the RYA’s ongoing process to nominate athletes to go to Paris 2024 as part of Team GB.It doesn’t guarantee that these athletes will be picked to represent Team GB at Paris 2024.The British Sailing Team will have little time to rest and recuperate before heading to the Sailing World Championships in The Hague, The Netherlands.More than 60 British Sailing Team athletes will be among 1,400 sailors from the across the globe expected to attend.The regatta is a once-a-cycle event where the world championship titles for all ten Olympic classes are up for grabs at the same time.It’s also the first opportunity for nations to qualify for a spot on the start line at the Olympics, doubling the significance of the regatta.Find out more about the British Sailing Team and follow their progress on social media at @britishsailing.Images credit: Sander van der Borch/World Sailing