Quick Dips
Curated topical articles on the Blue Economy

Michelin Commits to Shipping Product Transatlantic on Sail Cargo Ship

• The Maritime Executive • Shipping & Ports

France’s Michelin Group joined a growing number of global brands committing to use a sail-powered carbon-free shipping alternative for its products.

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How Paving with Plastic Could Make a Dent in the Global Waste Problem

• Ann Parson, Yale Environment 360 • Plastics & Pollution

Roads in which waste plastic is melted down and mixed with paving materials are becoming more common around the world. Although for now they remain a niche technology, experts say the roads could become one of a diverse array of uses for discarded plastic.

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Additional Shipping Lines Successfully Tested Biofuel Alternative

• Maritime Executive • Shipping & Ports

Two additional shipping companies, ONE and Eastern Pacific Shipping, recently completed successful trials of biofuels on their in-service ships.

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The circular economy can help save the planet - if we start innovating now

• Peter Lacy, Wesley Spindler and John Dutton, World Economic Forum

The circular economy represents the means to save the planet, as well as an enormous market opportunity.

There is a mismatch between multinationals struggling to keep pace with circular innovation, and entrepreneurs who lack the resources to scale up.

The Circulars Accelerator is bringing the two parties together to advance the zero-waste agenda.

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Researchers eye sea cucumbers as potential fish farming impact solution in Europe

• Jason Holland, Seafood Source • Fisheries & Aquaculture

A team of aquaculture researchers is exploring how sea cucumbers might be used to help reduce the environmental impact of fish farming, using techniques already being used in agriculture.

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As Plastic Pollution in Rivers Gets Worse, Species Are Increasingly Living on Litter

• E360 Digest, Yale School of the Environment • Plastics & Pollution

Scientists have long warned that the world’s major rivers and estuaries are hotspots for plastic waste, as trash and microparticles wash down tributaries and congregate before entering oceans. 

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As the oceans become more acidic, threat to sealife and industry grows, new study finds

• Gal Tziperman Lotan, The Boston Globe • Fisheries & Aquaculture

The ocean’s growing acidity, which goes hand in hand with climate change and other human-driven factors, could have a devastating effect on the state’s coastal waters and the shellfish industries that rely on their ecosystems, according to a new report.

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Artificial intelligence software detects ocean plastics from the air

• Nick Lavars, New Atlas • Plastics & Pollution

As millions of tons of plastic wash into the ocean everyday, scientists have their work cut out for them in trying to keep tabs on its whereabouts, but they may soon have a useful new tool at the their disposal.

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GE Awarded DOE Grant to Research 3-D Printing of Wind Turbine Blades

• GE Research • Energy Solutions

GE Research, GE Renewable Energy, and LM Wind Power, a GE Renewable Energy business were recently selected by the Department of Energy to research the design and manufacture of 3-D printed wind turbine blades.

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Mapping of undersized fish, crustaceans may help sustainable fishing efforts

• Brooks Hays, United Press International • Fisheries & Aquaculture

By mapping where undersized fish and crustaceans are congregated, researchers hope to help fisheries managers better protect vulnerable fish and crustacean stocks.

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South Korea unveils $43 billion plan for world's largest offshore wind farm

• Hyonhee Shin, Yahoo Finance • Energy Solutions

South Korea unveiled a 48.5 trillion won ($43.2 billion) plan to build the world's largest wind power plant by 2030 as part of efforts to foster an environmentally-friendly recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

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MARLIT, an artificial intelligence-based app to study floating marine macro-litter

• Recerca, University of Barcelona • Plastics & Pollution

A team of the Faculty of Biology and the IRBio presents an app based on an algorithm designed with artificial intelligence techniques to automate the study and quantification of floating plastics in the sea through aerial photography.

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Recycling Myth of the Month: Plastic waste is not just a 'developing country problem'

• Emily Petsko, Oceana • Plastics & Pollution

When the subject of plastic pollution comes up in the United States, Europe, or other Western countries, many people’s first instinct is to dodge responsibility and pass the blame onto other nations.

 

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Denmark to build 'first energy island' in North Sea

• BBC News • Energy Solutions

A project to build a giant island providing enough energy for three million households has been given the green light by Denmark's politicians.

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‘Make peace with nature’, UN chief urges at Ocean Decade launch

• UN News

January marked the beginning of what many within the UN and beyond view as “the most critical decade of our lives”, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said on Wednesday, launching a major initiative to protect the world’s oceans through the next ten years.

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Tapping into an ocean of innovation: The economic interest for developing a new ecosystem on oceanic technologies

• Or Haviv, CTech

"The development of ocean technologies is doubly important for us – ecologically and economically," explains Or Haviv, Partner and Head of Ventures at Arieli Capital.

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Federal grant could help to quadruple US seaweed aquaculture volumes

• The Fish Site • Fisheries & Aquaculture

The fledgling North American kelp farming sector has received a boost after Connecticut Sea Grant was awarded a $766,650 federal grant to lead a three-year, multi-state initiative.

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Blue Tech Voices - Melanie Nadeau, CEO of the Center for Ocean Ventures and Entrepreneurship (COVE)

• David Hume, The Liquid Grid

In this interview with the new CEO of COVE, Melanie Nadeau, reflects on the growth of the organization, her first hundred days at the helm, and what the future may bring.

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The Outlook for LNG as a Marine Fuel

• Peter Keller, The Maritime Executive • Shipping & Ports

Today, LNG-fuelled vessels amount to approximately 13% of the current newbuild order book and estimates for 2021 and beyond show continuing growth in many classes of vessels. Importantly, 2020 also saw the first uses of bio-LNG by deep-sea ocean vessels, thereby reducing the carbon footprints of these vessels.

Read more → (9 minute read)


Advancing Science for a Sustainable Ocean Economy

• Hydro International, Geomares

The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (Ocean Decade) 2021–2030 is about to start. The Ocean Decade seeks to generate and use knowledge for transformative actions needed to achieve a healthy and resilient, safe and productive ocean.

Read more → (8 minute read)