United Nations
Police Smash Ring Smuggling Migrants from Turkey to Italy in Yachts
European police have dismantled a criminal network that made hundreds of millions of euros smuggling migrants from Turkey to Italy mainly on yachts, Greek police said.Greece and Italy have been on the frontline of Europe's migration crisis since it began in 2015. While most migrants and refugees typically cross from Turkey to nearby Greek islands, a growing number of people have reached Italy from Turkey by sea since 2020, according to the United Nations refugee agency.Twenty-nine people were arrested in raids in Albania, Greece and Italy on Jan. 19, Greek police said late on Thursday.
GAC UK Unveils Sustainability Steps at Volvo Ocean Race
Shipping and logistics services provider GAC UK announced progress in its efforts to reduce plastic and other waste. As the yachts competing in the Volvo Ocean Race set off on Leg 10 from Cardiff yesterday, Managing Director Herman Jorgensen unveiled practical steps already taken to reduce the company’s impact on the environment. GAC is the official logistics provider for the round-the-world sailing race due to finish in The Hague later this month. Jorgensen had been inspired by the Volvo Ocean Race’s first Ocean Summit in Alicante…
Young American Sailors Call for Action on Marine Pollution
Leading offshore sailors Charlie Enright and Mark Towill are sounding the alarm about the danger posed by marine debris and pollution, after recent research from the Ocean Conservancy estimated a staggering eight million tons of plastic trash is entering the ocean every year. The duo spent much of last year in the most remote waters of the globe during the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race - and observed an eye-opening amount of debris littering the ocean all over the planet. Enright, 32…
Yachting Plan Boosts SKANReg Growth Potential
The London-headquartered St Kitts & Nevis International Ship Registry (SKANReg) is set for major expansion of its commercial and pleasure yacht fleet following the launch of a national yachting policy by the government of the twin-island federation. Complementing a surge in marina developments, the policy recognises the yachting industry’s ‘tremendous potential’ to boost tourism and related economic opportunities in the islands. In a key part of the five-year plan, the government…
Piracy Offshore Africa: Securing a Continent
The late Nelson Mandela once said: “I dream of an Africa which is in peace with itself.” At the EU-Africa summit in Brussels last month, European leaders urged their African counterparts to facilitate that dream by shouldering more of the security burden in their countries, both onshore and offshore. The summit coincided with reports of renewed piracy activity in the Gulf of Aden; ongoing attacks on shipping in the Gulf of Guinea, and explosions and mass arrests in Kenya, all serving to underline the scale of that challenge.
Man Begins 4th Row Across Atlantic Ocean
Victor Mooney of Flushing, Queens begins his fourth attempt to row across the Atlantic Ocean from Maspolamas, Gran Canaria to Brooklyn, New York. His goal is for the fight against HIV/AIDS and to support the United Nations memorial in New York dedicated to the transatlantic slave trade.
Boaters Enlisted to Help Track Whales
Yachters and sailors are invited to help scientists track the movements of endangered humpback whales between NOAA’s Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and its sister sanctuaries across the Caribbean as part of Carib Tails, a new international citizen science effort. Carib Tails is a collaboration between the sanctuary and partners at Marine Mammal Sanctuary of the Dominican Republic, Agoa Marine Mammal Sanctuary/French Antilles, Bermuda Marine Mammal Sanctuary, the marine mammal sanctuaries of the Windward and Leeward Dutch Antilles…
A USV Franchise Grows Strong in Abu Dhabi
As the evolution and integration of robotics in maritime vehicles continues to reshape missions and capabilities inland, near-shore and at sea, Maritime Reporter & Engineering News last month was on hand in Abu Dhabi for the unveiling of a new Unmanned Surface Vessel family. If it delivers as designed, it will revolutionize marine robotic vehicle applications for both military and commercial purposes. Robert J. Murphy is certainly no stranger to the world of autonomous robotic marine vehicles, having worked in the field for more than a quarter of a century, dating to the mid-1980s.
