naturalfeature:panama canal

Le #Canal_de_Panama bat des records de trafic et poursuit la réduction des équipages sur les remorqueurs d’écluse.
ITF : #Panama_Canal Management to Further Reduce Crew Size on Panama Canal Tugs – gCaptain
▻http://gcaptain.com/itf-panama-canal-management-to-further-reduce-crew-size-on-panama-canal-tu

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) plans to further reduce the number of crew available to Panama Canal tugboats during the transit of vessels in the new Neopanamax locks beginning in July, the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) said in an emailed statement opposing the new policy.

In their statement, the ITF said it was made aware of a communication sent on 30 May 2018 by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) to the Union de Capitanes y Oficiales de Cubierta (UCOC), the union representing Panama Canal tugboat captains, about reducing the tug’s complement to the minimum manning established by the Panama Maritime Authority, i.e. one captain, two deckhands and one engineer.

Since the opening of the Neopanamax locks in 2016, it has been standard practice for the ACP to supply an extra captain and (third) deckhand to join the tugboats specifically during transits of new locks. 

According to the ITF statement, however, the ACP informed the UCOC that starting on 1 July 2018, the additional captain will no longer be supplied. 

The move marks the latest escalation in a dispute between the UCOC and Panama Canal management over minimum safe manning of tugobats. In April, the ACP unexpectedly reduced the number of deckhands available to Panama Canal tugboats, deciding that they would no longer supply the third deckhand during lock transits, as has been the case since the new locks opened. 

The reduced manning prompted a brief work stoppage on 12 April 2018. The stoppage interrupted a small number of vessel transits in the Expanded Panama Canal, leading to the ACP to sanction tugboat captains involved and publicly accused them of breaking the law.

Le succès de la voie agrandie inaugurée il y a presque 2 ans ne se dément pas. La direction s’est engagée à augmenter ses versements à l’État de Panamá et semble décidée à poursuivre le bras de fer avec le syndicat des commandants et officiers de pont (UCOC)…

Panama Canal Tugboat Captains Face Disciplinary Action After Raising Safety Concerns in New Neopanamax Locks – gCaptain
▻http://gcaptain.com/panama-canal-tugboat-captains-face-disciplinary-action-after-raising-safet

http://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/2016-12-14-109-AEJ.jpg

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) is not providing proper staffing and equipment for new larger locks, putting workers and safe shipping at risk, according to tug captains who escort NeoPanamax containerships and LNG carriers through the recently-expanded Panama Canal.

Rather than address safety issues that the tugboat captains and others say contributed to recent accidents, the ACP has now begun disciplinary proceedings for 22 Panama Canal tugboat captains who raised questions about short-staffing and crew fatigue. 

Last month, the ACP announced sanctions against certain tugboat captains who they say were responsible for a brief work stoppage earlier in April that interrupted the transit of vessels. 

The tugboat captains, who are members of the Union de Capitanes y Oficiales de Cubierta (UCOC), raised their safety concerns following a recent decision by the ACP to reduce crew size of the tugboats from three deckhands down to two while transiting the new locks. Tug captains and other crewmembers also have questioned the wisdom of daily shifts that regularly exceed 12-14 hours.

Unlike the Canal’s original locks that relied primarily on locomotives or “mules” moving alongside the locks to guide vessels, the new Neopanamax locks require the use two tugs. 

“This is a very complex operation, shoehorning large ships into a small space with little margin,” said Captain Don Marcus, President of the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots. “This was dangerous work before ACP lowered standards. Long hours combined with fewer crewmembers, using underpowered tugs, is making a bad situation worse,” he added. The UCOC is an affiliate of the U.S.-based International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots.

In April 2017, the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Tampa collided with the tugboat Cerro Santiago during transit through the Panama Canal. Investigators from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found that overwork and fatigue were significant contributors to the incident.

In November 2017, Osvaldo de la Espada, a veteran canal worker with 24 years experience maneuvering ships through the locks, died from head injuries during a line-handling incident at the Agua Clara locks.

Vers un conflit avec les pilotes du canal ?

#Panama_Canal Tugboat Captains Sanctioned Over Refusal to Transit Vessels in Neopanamax Locks – gCaptain
▻http://gcaptain.com/panama-canal-authority-sanctions-tugboat-captains-over-refusal-to-transit-

http://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/DH2XSqRV0AEz4Vm.jpg

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has announced that it will apply sanctions against certain tugboat captains who recently refused to transit vessels through the canal’s new neopanamax locks, impacting the operations of the Expanded Panama Canal.
[…]
The union representing the tugboat captains, the Unión de Capitanes y Oficiales de Cubierta del Panama Canal, or UCOC, wrote on Twitter that the captains were sanctioned after refusing to work due to safety concerns, adding that the sanctions are part of the ACP’s plan to privatize tug operations.

Last month, the UCOC along with two other unions for maritime workers in the Panama Canal released a joint strategy seeking to improve the operations of the waterway and enhance the safety of workers. The strategy cited the scarcity of resources, including both personnel and equipment, for making some operations of the Expanded Panama Canal unsafe. The strategy explicitly listed worker fatigue as being an issue.
[…]
The Expanded Panama Canal opened larger vessels in June 2016. Since then, more than 3,000 vessels have made the transit through the new locks, far exceeding the initial traffic estimates for the waterway.

La #Route_de_la_soie_polaire agite les esprits, ici un point de vue atypique (poutino-maoïste ?) : que les É.-U. commencent par signer la Convention des Nations Unies sur le Droit de la Mer…

Don’t Fear China’s Arctic Takeover - Bloomberg
▻https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-01-30/don-t-fear-china-s-arctic-takeover

http://www.laboiteverte.fr/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/monde-vue-polaire-chine.jpg

Last week, China said it plans to build a “#Polar_Silk_Road” that will open shipping lanes across the largely pristine region at the top of the world. It’s an ambitious idea for a country that lacks an Arctic border, and it has raised concerns around the world about China’s ultimate intentions and its capacity for environmental stewardship. Although these are reasonable worries, they’re almost certainly overblown.

In theory, melting Arctic ice will create a significant economic opportunity. By one account, the region holds 22 percent of the world’s oil and gas reserves. As the ice recedes due to climate change, those reserves will be easier to mine. As new shipping lanes open, they should also be easier to transport. A cargo vessel going from Shanghai to Rotterdam via the Northwest Passage, rather than through the Panama Canal, will shave 2,200 miles off its journey. Already, some 900 Arctic infrastructure projects are at various stages of development.

To be sure, most won’t get anywhere. It’s hard to predict exactly how and where polar ice will melt. Some hoped-for shipping lanes may not open until the 2070s, and those routes that have already opened are unlikely to support profitable shipping businesses, thanks to their remoteness and the high cost of insurance. In 2016, only 19 vessels traversed the Northern Sea Route between Asia and Europe — hardly evidence of an Arctic “gold rush” or competition for the Panama Canal.
[…]
With that in mind, clearer rules and stronger institutions are still needed. For starters, the U.S. should set an example by finally ratifying the #United_Nations_Convention_on_the_Law_of_the_Sea, the treaty governing the oceans. In doing so, it would gain more influence in discussions over the Arctic, and help ensure that disputes in the region’s international waters can be resolved in an orderly way. Additionally, the #Polar_Code, which regulates cargo vessels and cruise ships in the area, should be extended to fishing boats, which arguably pose the greatest risk to Arctic ecosystems. Finally, it would make sense to establish an international scientific body — perhaps modeled on the North Pacific Marine Sciences Organization — that could provide timely information on the Arctic’s environment and fish stocks.

#UNCLOS #Montego_Bay
#OBOR

The Panama Canal Is Now a Major Problem for U.S. Shale - Bloomberg
▻https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-08/u-s-shale-has-a-panama-canal-problem-that-s-got-no-easy-fix

https://assets.bwbx.io/images/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/il8y8gvmmSCU/v1/1200x800.jpg

Just as the Panama Canal was unveiling a new, fatter set of locks, U.S. shale drillers were readying their very first exports of liquefied natural gas. While the wide-body tankers that transport LNG would’ve had no chance of squeaking through the original steel locks built a century ago, they could easily traverse the bigger channel and shave 11 days off the trip to primary markets in Asia.

But 17 months in, it’s not quite working out as planned. Only a single LNG tanker has a guaranteed passage each day. The natural-gas industry blames the Panama Canal Authority for holdups, and the canal authority blames the industry for being lackadaisical about transit timetables.
[…]
What rankles LNG companies is that they’ve been awarded just the single reserved slot, with the rest going to container ships that carry consumer goods from sneakers to refrigerators. One position isn’t sufficient now and will be wholly inadequate once all the new export terminals under construction go on line, said Octavio Simoes, president of Sempra LNG & Midstream, at a conference in October. He caused a ruckus when he warned that canal holdups could crimp sales and cost traders serious money.

Jorge Quijano, chief executive officer of the canal authority, fired back, saying there are no plans to boost reservations for LNG tankers — and suggested there won’t be until they prove themselves worthy.

“We can focus on giving them a second slot when they start to behave with a more contract-like pattern with their suppliers and buyers,” Quijano said from his office in Panama City. With container ships, “if they request a transit tomorrow, they’ll be there tomorrow.” LNG tankers, he said, “are a maybe.”

Could Mexico Be the Next Panama Canal for Gas ? Drillers Think So - Bloomberg
(titre tout-à-fait trompeur, puisqu’il s’agit d’un éventuel tuyau, #gazoduc)
▻https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-19/could-mexico-be-the-next-panama-canal-for-gas-drillers-think-so

Since the first shale gas export terminal opened in Louisiana last year, America’s drillers have seen at least 75 cargoes of their fuel sail through the Panama Canal bound for markets in Asia.

Now they’re looking for a cheaper and quicker route. And they’ve turned to Mexico for help.

Aldo Flores, Mexico’s deputy energy secretary, said Thursday that the government’s in talks with shale drillers in West Texas about a potential pipeline that would send their gas straight to Mexico’s west coast, where it could then be liquefied and shipped overseas.

Such a pipeline could eliminate the need for gas tankers to navigate the Panama Canal and hand the U.S. another outlet for the bounty of gas that President Donald Trump has vowed to “unleash” upon the world. It comes as at least one would-be U.S. gas exporter, Sempra LNG & Midstream, voices concerns about delays at the canal that threaten to cost gas traders thousands of dollars a day.
[…]
A pipeline from Texas to Mexico’s west coast could be a costly proposition, Bloomberg New Energy Finance analyst Anastacia Dialynas said Thursday. But it would also be easier to build in Mexico, where there are less regulations than in Oregon, she said.

USS Zumwalt Breaks Down in Panama Canal – gCaptain
▻https://gcaptain.com/uss-zumwalt-breaks-down-in-panama-canal

The U.S. Navy’s newest and most high-tech destroyer is stuck in Panama after suffering an engineering casualty during a transit of the Panama Canal. 

A U.S. Navy statement obtained by USNI News said the destroyer, USS Zumwalt, was on a southbound transit of the canal on Monday when it suffered the casualty and had to be towed to a berth. Zumwalt is now stopped for repairs at the former U.S. Naval Station Rodman, the report said.

La série noire continue, nouvel incident pour le navire du futur de la marine états-unienne…

USNI News reported that the repairs could take up to ten days.

Le précédent c’était il y a tout juste 2 mois.
▻https://seenthis.net/messages/526711

LE cadeau de Noël 2016 : une écluse du Canal de Panamá fonctionnelle en LEGO®

Check Out This Awesome Panama Canal LEGO Set That Actually Works – gCaptain
▻https://gcaptain.com/check-out-this-working-panama-canal-lego-set

▻https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1c95ul3RUEQ

LEGO has released a functional Panama Canal lock set commemorating this year’s opening of the expanded Panama Canal. 

The set is made up of 1184-pieces and actually shows how the water levels are raised and lowered within the lock chambers, which allows ships to navigate the different water levels when transiting from one ocean to the next. 

The set is part of the LEGO Education line and was produced with help Panama STEM Education and the Panama Canal Authority. 

According to the website Brickset.com, the model will be available to the public in the first week of December and is priced at about $250.

But if you’re looking to get your hands on one, good luck! LEGO is only making approximately 40,000 units and they will only be available in Panama.

U.S. Navy’s Newest Littoral Combat Ship Damaged (Again) in Panama Canal – gCaptain
▻https://gcaptain.com/u-s-navys-newest-littoral-combat-ship-damaged-again-in-panama-canal

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The U.S. Navy’s newest littoral combat ship USS Montgomery has had its hull cracked for a second time after hitting a lock wall during a transit of the Panama Canal, the U.S. Navy has confirmed.

The latest incident occurred Saturday, Oct. 29 during southbound transit of the Panama Canal’s old locks on its way to its homeport in San Diego

According to a Navy statement obtained by USNI News: “Under control of the local Panama Canal Pilot, the ship impacted the center lock wall and sustained an 18-inch-long crack between her port quarter and transom plates,” Cmdr. Ryan Perry with U.S. 3rd Fleet said. “The crack is located 8-10 feet above the waterline and poses no water intrusion or stability risk.”

Une fissure de 50 cm à 3 m au dessus de la flottaison.
Moins d’un mois après 30 cm à 1 m au dessus de la flottaison suite à un choc avec un remorqueur
▻https://seenthis.net/messages/531486

Shippers get the news: Hanjin finally reveals where its ships are - The Loadstar
▻http://theloadstar.co.uk/shippers-get-news-hanjin-finally-reveals-ships

(localisation, mais sans carte…)

Unloading operations have begun on some Hanjin vessels after the line finally began to update shippers and forwarders on where its vessels actually are.

A fleet update issued by the carrier this morning shows the vast majority of its vessels still “waiting in open sea” for instructions from headquarters.

So far six vessels are confirmed to have been arrested – the Hanjin Baltimore at Panama, with the Panama Canal “impassable” to the line; Hanjin Vienna in Vancouver; Hanjin California in Sydney; Hanjin Rome, as widely reported, in Singapore; and Hanjin Rotterdam in Yantian; and Hanjin Sooho in Shanghai; while the Hanjin Montevideo has been arrested by its bunker supplier in Long Beach, California.

Another seven vessels are at port under embargo and three more – Sky Pride, Sky Love and Pacita – have been returned to their owners.

Ten vessels are waiting off the coast of China and two off Japan; a further 12 are waiting off South Korea, two of which – Hanjin Chongqing and Asian Trader – have now run out of fuel and are waiting for bunker supplies. Another nine vessels are underway to Pusan, where they won’t run the risk of arrest.

The Hanjin Europe is under embargo in Hamburg, with Hanjin Harmony waiting in the North Sea, while five vessels wait in the Mediterranean. Two of the latter were refused entry to the Suez Canal and now face circumventing the Cape of Good Hope on their journey to Asia.

There are nine vessels waiting in the waters of South-east Asia, the Indian Ocean and around Australia, and a further three in the Arabian Gulf.

In the US, Hanjin Greece began unloading at a Long Beach terminal, while five vessels wait off the coast, with reports that one, the Hanjin Gdynia, will dock this week.

Containership Damaged After Hitting Wall in Panama Canal’s New Locks - gCaptain
▻https://gcaptain.com/containership-damaged-in-panama-canals-new-locks

https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Xin-Fei-Zhou--800x600.jpg

A neopanamax containership has suffered a gash to its hull after bumping into the wall of one of the new locks making up the expanded Panama Canal.

According to reports the 8,500 teu containership MV Xin Fei Zhou scrapped the side during a transit of the Agua Clara locks on the Atlantic side during a northbound transit of the canal.

The incident marks the first of what many have warned would be a recurring issue with the new locks that poses added risks to the safety of ships and workers. Unlike the existing locks, which use locomotives (aka mules), the new neopanamax locks use a configuration of two tugboats, one fore and aft, to guide ships through.

An independent study commissioned by the International Transport Workers’ Federation released earlier this year concluded that the safety of maneuverability within the new locks is compromised due to several factors, namely that the dimensions of the new lock chambers are too small for the configuration of the tugboats under various environmental conditions. The conclusions echoed similar concerns that a veteran Panama Canal ship pilot expressed to gCaptain back in July 2014 regarding the design of new locks, particularly with regards to the size of the individual lock chambers, the configuration of the tugs, and the prevailing winds that the region is known for.

China Issues Guidance on Arctic Navigation

▻http://www.marinelink.com/news/navigation-guidance409448.aspx

The Northwest Passage, a sea route connecting the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America, is becoming more attractive for shipping as global warming melts the ice cover and keeps the route navigable for longer periods. The passage cuts the transit for ships by 30 percent when compared to the traditional routes passing through the Panama Canal.

Building upon the previously issued “Guidances on Arctic navigation in the Northeast route 2014”, the new guidance covers hydrological, meteorological, obstacle, waterway navigation, navigation facilities, salvage services, port services and other security guarantee information of the Arctic geographical environment and northwest route. The guidance also takes into account the crew, ship, ship unloader, manipulation and the relevant international conventions as well as coastal state management requirements.

#chine #arctique #transport_maritime

#ITF Raises Concerns Over Safety of Expanded #Panama_Canal Locks - gCaptain
▻https://gcaptain.com/itf-raises-concerns-over-safety-of-expanded-panama-canal-locks

https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Panama-Canal-locks-tugboat.jpg

The International Transport Workers’ Federation has expressed concern over the safety of the new Panama Canal locks after an independent study into the expansion project confirmed some local pilot’s concerns that the design of the new locks poses added risks to workers and ships. Canal officials have denied the accuracy of the study. 

ITF commissioned the study after its Panamanian member unions raised serious concerns to the union group centered around the Panama Canal Authority’s (ACP) refusal to engage in dialogue on matters such as training, as well as technical and construction issues that have led to delays in the $5.3 billion project.

The study, which was carried out by Brazil’s Fundação Homem de Mar (FHM), was based on mathematical conclusions derived from simulations conducted in maneuvering simulator using a scale model of the new locks, a typical Neopanamax vessel and the planned configuration of two tugboats under various environmental conditions, according to the ITF. Unlike the existing locks, which uses locomotive (aka mules) to guide ships in and out of the locks, the new locks will use tugboats, one aft and forward, to assist ships through the new locks. Another two tugs (four total) will be used upon entry into Canal waters and on the approach to the locks. 

The ITF says that the concluded that the safety of maneuverability within the locks is compromised due to several factors, namely:

• The locks’ dimensions are too small for safe operation (with both gates closed);
• There are no refuge areas for the tugboats inside the locks, leaving no room for failure (human error, miscommunication, broken lines or engine failure);
• The bollard pull is insufficient;
• In terms of maneuverability in the locks, the control of the vessel was compromised under the average environmental conditions present in that geographic area (data provided by the contracting party). The main reasons were the low power of the tugboats and the required bollard pull. With milder conditions the exercise was concluded safely.
The study recommends that a complete risk analysis and special training should be carried out to avoid any accidents that may result in loss of life or pollution.

The conclusions echo similar concerns that a veteran Panama Canal ship pilot expressed to gCaptain back in July 2014 regarding the design of new locks, particularly with regards to the size of the individual lock chambers, the configuration of the tugs, and the prevailing winds that the region is known for.

China sets its sights on the Northwest Passage as a potential trade boon | World news | The Guardian

▻http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/20/china-northwest-passage-trade-route-shipping-guide

https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/28bda9485cd159b7acb0b8345f22589cff582d6c/0_136_4976_2987/4976.jpg?w=1200&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&s=054ea17cb5eb7033f0a9505fbda64e77

China is looking to exploit the Northwest Passage, the fabled shortcut from the Pacific to the Atlantic, according to state-run media, with the world’s biggest trader in goods publishing a shipping guide to the route.

The seaway north of Canada, which could offer a quicker journey from China to the US east coast than via the Panama Canal or Cape Horn, was sought by European explorers for centuries, including by the doomed Franklin expedition of 1845.

#arctique #transport #transport_maritime #route_arctique

This Mesmerizing Interactive Map Displays Ship Movements Across the Globe - gCaptain
►https://gcaptain.com/this-mesmerizing-interactive-map-displays-ship-movements-across-the-globe

https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Ship-Movement-Map.jpg

This Mesmerizing Interactive Map Displays Ship Movements Across the Globe

Researchers at UCL Energy Institute together with London-based data visualization and digital journalism studio Kiln have released this amazing interactive map that plots 250 million data points to show the movements of the world’s commercial shipping fleet during the year 2012. (Hit the play button above to learn more about what is being displayed)

The map was created based on the methodology developed for the Third IMO GHG Study 2014 and AIS data to estimate emissions from five different ship types; containerships, tankers, dry bulk, gas carriers and vehicle carriers.

Based only on ship movements and without a background map, the world’s coastlines are clearly defined, with plenty of variation in ship activity: from the buzz of activity in the East China Sea to the relative quiet of Somalia’s piracy afflicted waters to ship movements in areas where one might not expect them, such as the Arctic and Antarctic. The map also clearly shows the most crucial shipping thoroughfares of all: the canals linking different bodies of water, such as the Panama Canal, opened a century ago to connect the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, and the even older and busier Suez Canal which saw 17,000 transits in 2012 alone.

►http://www.shipmap.org
(mais je ne peux pas la consulter avec la casserole qui me sert d’ordi…)

Panama Canal Authority Books First Transits Through Expanded Canal - gCaptain
▻https://gcaptain.com/panama-canal-authority-books-first-transits-through-expanded-canal

The Panama Canal Authority on Monday began taking transit reservations for Neopanamax vessels passing through the new locks of the expanded Panama Canal.

The first reservation was booked by the NYK Line LPG tanker Linden Pride, which has a length of 754.59 feet and a beam of 120.08 feet, the Canal Authority said Monday. The first commercial transits will occur June 27, one day after the official inauguration of the new locks.

Within hours of the opening of the first booking period, the Canal Authority said it had already filled all 25 available booking slots.

The race for Arctic domination par Alberto Lucas López (Design) - Visualoop

▻http://visualoop.com/infographics/the-race-for-arctic-domination

http://visualoop.com/media/2016/03/ArcticRace1_21001.png

Publishers : South China Morning Post

To build and manage the Panama Canal, the United States pushed through Panama’s independence from Colombia and spent more on this construction project than on any other before. To create the Suez Canal, the Egyptian government leased its land to a private French company, which used forced labour to complete the project. Nowadays, the question is, will the Arctic frontier become an ecological preserve or an economic engine, an area of international cooperation or confrontation?

#arctique #transport #transport_maritime

#Panama_canal sets depth limit on ships due to drought | Reuters
▻http://in.reuters.com/article/us-panama-canal-idINKCN0WO04E

The Panama Canal will next month impose new draft restrictions on ships due to falling water levels at nearby lakes that form part of the waterway, the authority that administers the canal said in a statement on Monday.

Ships seeking to cross the waterway must comply with a maximum depth limit of 39 feet (11.89 meters) beginning on April 18, but the Panama Canal Authority (APC) said the impact on operations would be minimal.

The “temporary and preventive measures” are connected to local climate impacts of #El_Niño, the seasonal weather phenomenon that has caused a drought in the canal’s watershed, and will be implemented in 6-inch (15-cm) decrements that will be announced at least four weeks in advance.

Testing of Panama Canal Lock Repair Complete
▻http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/testing-of-panama-canal-lock-repair-complete

The Panama Canal has announced that Grupo Unidos por el Canal (GUPC), the consortium responsible for the design and construction of the Third Set of Locks Project, has successfully completed testing of the reinforcements in sill Number 3 of the Cocolí locks. 
[…]
In September last year, the Panama Canal Authority announced that the leak occurred in the concrete sill between the lower and middle chamber of the Canal’s expanded Pacific Locks as a result of insufficient steel reinforcing.

Following the completion of the reinforcing work, GUPC will proceed to test the electromechanical components necessary for the expanded canal to operate.

Less than four percent remains to complete the overall project which will be inaugurated later this year.

Les fuites dans les fissures du béton tout neuf (août 2015)
▻https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbnQs-qMqsM

Fiber Optics for the Far North
▻http://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/internet/arctic-fibre-project-to-link-japan-and-uk

A 24-terabit-per-second undersea cable will connect Japan and the U.K. and also bring broadband to remote Arctic communities

http://img.qz.com/2014/12/arctic-fibre.png

Why would anyone spend $850 million laying a fiber-optic cable between Tokyo and London, passing through some of the coldest, most remote parts of the world, when it would speed up existing data transfers rates only by 24-thousandths of a second?

For financial firms, 24 milliseconds can be a pretty big trading advantage. Today, it takes 154 milliseconds to send data from Tokyo to London. Once the Arctic Fibre cable, a new submarine connection passing through the Northwest Passage, has been laid and lit up in 2016, the 15,600-km (10,000-mile) journey will be 15% faster, according to a fascinating article about the cable in IEEE Spectrum, the magazine of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Seafarers have been using the Northwest Passage for centuries. In the summer, when the ice melts, the narrow route through Canada’s northern archipelago reduces travel time for modern ships by an estimated four days compared to going via the Panama Canal (though this varies depending on starting and ending points). The new cable will take advantage of the same short cut.

In the process, however, it will also bring broadband internet to nearly 60,000 Canadians and just over 25,000 Alaskans who previously had to rely on satellite to get online. Indeed, so slow are existing connections, Arctic Fiber‘s CEO “had to use a courier to send his 227-page environmental report on the cable to the review board in Cambridge Bay, a hamlet in Canada’s most northern province,” according to IEEE Spectrum. The fiber link is expected to go live early in 2016.

▻http://qz.com/319566/how-financiers-fighting-for-extra-milliseconds-are-bring-broadband-to-north-amer

#câbles_sous-marins #Arctique