Corals may head south to beat the heat

The tropical corals of Western Australia may be heading south due to climate change.

The seaboard between Perth and Geraldton could end up with coral reefs as rich and varied as the celebrated reefs of Ningaloo, two marine scientists say in new research. Working from fossil evidence of what happened in WA under an earlier warm phase in the global climate 125,000 years ago, Professor John Pandolfi of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and Professor Benjamin Greenstein of Cornell College, Iowa, USA; conclude tropical corals could soon be headed south once more to escape warming oceans. With oceans warming again due to greenhouse, the rich, diverse northern corals are likely to spread south again, travelling on the Leeuwin current, in search of places to survive global warming and avoid impacts such as bleaching and coral disease, which occur when tropical waters warm too much for them to tolerate.
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Diesel electric on the North Sea

While diesel-electric propulsion continues to garner converts in North America, it is a more usual system in Europe.

The noted Danish operator of emergency response/rescue vessels, ESVAGT, took delivery of four diesel-electric vessels from the ASL-Marine yard in Singapore in 2007. Two more of the sister-ships will follow in 2008. As with the rest of the ESVAGT fleet, the new vessels are a bright red. Moreover, like the rest of the fleet they have the distinctive raised fo'c'sle design of boats ready for heavy seas. The first of the six boat series, the 'Esvagt Carpathia', is named in honour of the 'SS Carpathia' that was the first ship on the scene after the sinking of the Titanic and took aboard 700 survivors. A fitting name for this stout 45.8 by 11.5 metre rescue vessel with accommodation for a crew of 12 and space for up to 300 survivors. The diesel-electric system is well suited to the application as the vessel spends much of its time in a stand-by mode.

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Daewoo Shipbuilding forecasts record sales

Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, the world's third-largest shipbuilder, said that the sales would hit a record Won9,900bn ($10.6bn) in 2008 as increasing demand drives up vessel prices.

Analysts expect South Korean shipbuilders to post strong earnings this year as they boast order backlogs that will keep them busy for at least three years. Ship prices have more than doubled to a record since they hit a 10-year low in 2003, as global economic growth has fuelled demand for consumer goods and raw materials.
Daewoo did not provide an estimated sales figure for last year but this year's target is about 40 per cent more than the Won 7000 bn it projected for 2007 at the beginning of last year. Competition is expected to be fierce this year as production capacity has expanded globally and raw material prices are surging. Orders for offshore platforms and container ships are expected to lead demand this year. Hyundai Heavy Industries, the world's largest shipbuilder and Daewoo's domestic rival, is also expecting another strong year.
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Whaling mission hits trouble

The Federal Opposition has called on the Rudd government to lift the "shroud of secrecy" and start answering questions about its troubled Japanese whaling-monitoring mission.

Opposition environment representative Greg Hunt today seized on revelations that Skytraders, the aviation company contracted by the government to run a promised surveillance plane, only sought safety approval to do so. The news has come after the government was embarrassed by revelations that the Oceanic Viking customs ship was this week still in port, despite a promise on December 19 that it would be out monitoring Japanese whalers within days. The government has refused to answer questions about the state of the surveillance mission, saying that they are "operational matters''. However, Mr. Hunt said it was time the government lift the "shroud of secrecy'' and give the Australian public an explanation.
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Huge wave warnings close Sydney beaches

With massive waves predicted along Sydney's coast, all but two of the city's beaches are closed.

The flags were out only at North Bondi and Clovelly beaches this morning with rough swells posing a risk to swimmers. "The swell forecast was for up to nine-foot (2.7m) waves regularly for beaches throughout Sydney. The waves would reach 3.5m. Waves are expected to pick up through the day so restrictions may increase. Maroubra and North Narrabeen as well as beaches between Manly and Queenscliff, and Cronulla and Wanda were likely to be hardest hit by high waves. Most people have been pretty good, staying away from the area unless there is a flagged area. There had been no reports of serious beach rescues.
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Russians saved after three months

Rescuers have saved 11 people who were shipwrecked nearly three months ago in the remote Russian Far East.

They had survived by eating fish they had caught, food they had on board, and flour they found in an old army base. However, with supplies running low, five set out on foot to seek help. After four days' walk, they stumbled upon a group of soldiers, who sent for help. All 11 are reported to be feeling well and not in need of medical help. Their ordeal began when they set out in two vessels to catch fish on the Pacific coast of the Kamchatka peninsula, 6,700 km (4,200 miles) east of Moscow. The boats' wreckage provided some basic shelter while they awaited rescue.
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