At about 6:15 this morning, local time, the Maersk Shekou, a 332 meter, 8,814 TEU container ship struck and dismasted the STS Leeuwin II berthed at Victoria Quay in Fremantle, Australia’s inner harbor. The container ship also hit the nearby … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Australia
In a new study, published in the journal Nature, scientists say that sea surface temperatures over the past decade in and around Australia’s Great Barrier Reef are the highest on record for 400 years. The study concludes that these increased temperatures, … Continue reading
The wreckage of the MV Noongah, dubbed “one of the nation’s worst post-war maritime disasters” has been discovered off the coast of Australia’s New South Wales 55 years after it sank in heavy weather with the loss of 21 of … Continue reading
A wonderful story from Robyn White writing for Newsweek. A pod of dolphins led a whale and her calf back to their migration route after they became lost and distressed, a heartwarming video shows. The albino mother humpback whale was … Continue reading
There is so much that we do not understand about the social behaviors of whales and dolphins. Dolphins off the Australian coast, for example, have been observed wearing sponges as hats in what is believed to be an attempt, though … Continue reading
The BBC reports that several popular beaches in Sydney, Australia have been closed after sharks attacked a dolphin in waters near the city. At least two bull sharks were spotted in the Shelly Beach area, in northern Sydney, after the … Continue reading
Eight hundred passengers, reported to be mostly Americans, found themselves stranded on the cruise ship Viking Orion off South Australia for seven days after the ship was denied permission to dock in Adelaide, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Hobart, due to marine growth … Continue reading
In the words of Yogi Berra, “It’s like deja vu all over again.” Masks and vaccination mandates are returning to the cruise industry, at least for many cruise ships calling in Australia. In March of 2020 at the beginning of … Continue reading
More than 200 whales have been found stranded on a remote beach at the entrance to Macquarie Harbour on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia. Half of the pod, thought to be pilot whales, are believed to be still alive. … Continue reading
A ten-meter-long white humpback whale carcass recently washed ashore on Australia’s Mallacoota beach raising fears that it could be the world-famous albino humpback nicknamed Migaloo. A closer examination by Victoria’s Department of Environment, Land, Water, and Planning revealed, however, that … Continue reading
Australian researchers were performing a genetic survey of Poseidon’s ribbon weed (Posidonia australis), a species of seagrass growing widely in Shark Bay, off the westernmost tip of Australia. Researchers collected shoots from across the bay and examined 18,000 genetic markers … Continue reading
The New York Times reports that a leaked document has revealed that China and the Solomon Islands are close to signing a security agreement that could open the door to Chinese troops and naval warships flowing into a Pacific Island … Continue reading
Reuters is reporting that Suiso Frontier, the world’s first liquefied hydrogen carrier could leave Japan for Australia to pick up its first cargo of hydrogen late this month. The ship will carry 1,250 m3 of liquefied hydrogen cooled to –253°C, … Continue reading
Crowdsourcing has arrived on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Thousands of “citizen scientist” volunteers have spent the last 12 weeks participating in the Great Reef Census 2021. Volunteer teams of scientists, divers, tourists, and skippers have ventured to the far corners … Continue reading
Millions of bright red crabs have begun their yearly mating migration from the forest to the sea on Australia’s Christmas Island. The scarlet crabs are marching from the jungle toward the Indian Ocean, swarming roadways, parks, and residential neighborhoods, so … Continue reading
For only the second time, a “megapod” of humpbacks whales, estimated to be between 100 and 150 animals, was sighted off the south coast of Australia’s New South Wales feasting on baitfish in what was described as a feeding frenzy. … Continue reading
AP reports that President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday a new U.S. security alliance with Australia and Britain that will provide Australia with the technology and capability to deploy nuclear-powered submarines. The agreement would make Australia the first country without nuclear … Continue reading
There are reports that Migaloo, an all-white humpback whale, has been sighted off the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia, on his annual migration from Antarctica to Queensland. Migaloo is considered by many to be a “rockstar” and is … Continue reading
Here is a heartwarming video for a cold Saturday (at least cold here on the West bank of the Hudson River.) A body surfing pet duck on Australia’s Gold Coast has become a local celebrity for riding the waves. Kate … Continue reading
Severe weather off the east coast of Australia has left beaches in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales and on the Gold and Sunshine coasts covered in a thick layer of sea foam, attracting crowds of curious locals, … Continue reading