As part of the Farmers’ and Fisherfolk’s Month celebration, Agriculture Secretary William Dar unveiled the project Urban Aquaponics during the launching of the Plant, Plant, Plant Program in Quezon City. Aquaponics, an innovative technology that combines concepts of aquaculture and hydroponics to allow fishes and vegetables to grow together in an integrated system, is one of the government’s newest project…
Marine engineering and equipment development company TECO 2030 and engineering firm AVL List have announced plans to develop a hydrogen fuel cell system specifically designed for heavy-duty marine applications. The companies have been working to develop the TECO Marine Fuel Cell, with the aim to market the first proton-exchange membrane fuel cell system specifically designed for marine applications. The three-year…
Gothenburg and Sweden could be the first in the world to create a joint infrastructure for the transport of liquefied. The project called CinfraCap is a collaborative venture between Göteborg Energi, Nordion Energi, Preem, St1, Renova, and Gothenburg Port Authority. CCS is widely regarded as a key component in the transition of the global energy system, and several research and…
Whale-ship collisions are occurring at an increasing rate around the world. A newly developed tool uses AI, a mobile app and big data to help mariners avoid whale strikes. The first Whale Safe system has now been deployed off the coast of California. A pillar of warm air and vapor bursts out of the ocean, reaching three storeys into the…
As the shipping industry ramps up efforts to decarbonize, initial sea trials onboard a Maersk tanker fitted with Norsepower Rotor Sails indicate that wind power has the potential to play a significant role in a low carbon ocean transport system. Early results from a sea trial onboard the 109,647 DWT Maersk Pelican fitted with two meters high, five meters in…
Bloom Energy and South Korea-based Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) signed a joint development agreement to design and develop fuel cell-powered ships. The two companies will work together to use Bloom fuel cells to cut emissions on ships, a sizable source of pollution. The fuel cells would produce electricity that would power the ships via liquefied natural gas (LNG). Bloom’s main…
Brief History Palawan’s textured history can be traced back over millions of years. Bone fragments, the skull cap remains and tools of the Tabon Man – one of the oldest remnants of human inhabitants found in the Philippines at 22,000 years old – were discovered in 1962 in the Tabon Caves in Quezon, Palawan. It is believed that these cave…
The lockdown of the whole of Luzon, which includes Metro Manila, was announced on 16-March-2020. It was to control the movement of over 60 million people in the North of the Philippines to stop or hinder the spread of the deadly CoVID-19 pandemic. In all of January and February, the Philippine had a total of 3 infections and 1 death,…
According to CAI International, “Since the 1960’s, Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) has been the king of shipping fuels. A byproduct of crude oil, HFO expels 35,000 ppm into the environment and accounts for 8% of the sulfuric dioxide in the air. The arrival of the IMO 2020 fuel regulation in 2019 signaled a formal move toward alternatives to HFO like…
The Philippines has taken first steps into the offshore wind power sector with plans to develop 1.2 GW, according to an international consortium that said it has been given the go-ahead to advance wind farm projects there. Triconti ECC, an alliance between Swiss, German and local players, claimed the Philippines Department of Energy (DOE) gave it “exclusive rights to studying…
The adoption of the ‘Initial International Maritime Organization (IMO) Strategy on Reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions from Ships’ by IMO Resolution MEPC.304(72) in April 2018 demonstrates IMO’s commitment to support the Paris Agreement. The IMO strategy includes initial targets to reduce as compared to 2008 levels the average CO2 emissions per ‘transport work’ by at least 40% by 2030,…
ShippingLab has announced its support for a new project that will convert power from the Wind turbines at the Port of Hvide Sande to hydrogen for use in a fuel cell intended to power a vessel. The vessel powered by the fuel cell will be used to keep the Danish port entrance free of sand. The companies involved in the…
The Novel Coronavirus (CoVID-19) infection was first reported on 31-Dec-2019. The virus originated from Wuhan, China and quickly spread to coastal cities, and internationally. The South China Agricultural University reports their discovery of a 99% genetic match between CoVID-19 and a strain of the virus in pangolins. An earlier study published in Nature finds the probable origin of the virus…
Emissions from ships are heavy contributors to global climate change and local air pollution, putting pressure on the environment and humans. A new generation of bunker fuels, called zero-emission fuels, can help to address this challenge while also creating a major business opportunity in developing countries. Currently, ships contribute about 2-3% of all global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions —more than…
World leaders are currently updating the laws for international waters that apply to most of the world’s ocean environment. This provides a unique opportunity, marine scientists argue this week, to introduce new techniques that allow protected zones to shift as species move under climate change. In an article in the 17-January-2020 issue of Science, researchers make the case for the United…
A visit to the Visayas is never complete unless you take a ferry ride from Cebu to Bohol. Upon arrival in Bohol, one is immediately enchanted by the blue sea and clear skies over the horizon. It’s rare to see these colors in a city jungle where the air is full of smog and emissions. First stop in beautiful Bohol…
According to independent analyses by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Earth’s global surface temperatures in 2019 were the second warmest since modern recordkeeping began in 1880. Globally, 2019 temperatures were second only to those of 2016, and continued the planet’s long-term warming trend: the past five years have been the warmest of the last 140 years….
The Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary is located 5 kms east of Mactan Island. The Sanctuary is composed of the main island, Olango, and six nearby islets namely: Sulpa, Gilutongan, Nalusuan, Caohagan, Pangan-an, and Camungi. The total land area of Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary is approximately 1,030 ha (2,500 acres). The Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary falls under the jurisdiction of Lapu-Lapu…
Rossby waves naturally occur in rotating fluids. Within the Earth’s ocean and atmosphere, these waves form as a result of the rotation of the planet. These Rossby waves play a significant role in shaping weather and climate. An animation from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center shows both long and short atmospheric waves as indicated by the jet stream. The colors represent the speed of…
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to enhance the country’s capability to respond to oil spill in the morning of 24-February-2020. Vice Admiral George Ursabia of the PCG – Marine Environment Protection Command (MEPCOM) expressed his gratitude to the OSRL for their willingness to assist the PCG…
Natural gas, which took over millions of years of transformation of organic materials, such as plankton and algae, is made up of about 95% Methane, which is the cleanest fossil fuel. The combustion of natural gas mainly emits water vapor and tiny amounts of Carbon Dioxide (CO2). Its CO2 emissions are 30%-50% lower than those produced by other combustible fuels, according…
Deforestation is a serious challenge for the whole world Forests cover about 30% of the planet’s land mass but humans are cutting them down, clearing these essential habitats on a massive scale. Intentional clearing of forests is one thing (not recommended, for sure) but deforestation likewise includes a major problem whose causes are mostly natural and accidental. Wild fires is…
E.U.’s offshore wind goals are achievable. The E.U. Commission’s goals for attaining 230GW-450GW of offshore wind by 2050 are achievable provided the right investments in electricity grids, and the European Governments take the right approach to maritime spatial planning. Such is the conclusion of the WindEurope Report, Our Energy, Our Future. The goal of 450GW offshore wind is…
The world continues to emit greenhouse gases while our planet’s climate is changing faster than ever. The 10 New Insights in Climate Science 2019 report intends to take up the latest and most essential scientific findings published in an extraordinary year –the climate science year in review. The world is not on track Greenhouse gas emissions continue increasing; gap between…
Background The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) defines storm surge as the abnormal rise in seawater level during a storm, measured as the height of the water above the normal predicted astronomical tide. The surge is caused primarily by storm winds pushing water onshore (NOAA, 2019). The amplitude of a storm surge is attributed to several factors…