Green-powered boat readies for round-the-world voyage

Yahoo – AFP, Helene Duvigneau, September 12, 2016

Labourers work on on the hull of an under-construction self energy producer,
multihull 'Energy Observer', in Saint-Malo, western France (AFP Photo/Loic Venance)

Saint-Malo (France) (AFP) - Dubbed the "Solar Impulse of the Seas," the first boat to be powered solely by renewable energies and hydrogen hopes to make its own historic trip around the world.

A water-borne answer to the Solar Impulse -- the plane that completed its round-the-globe trip using only solar energy in July -- the Energy Observer will be powered by the Sun, the wind and self-generated hydrogen when it sets sail in February as scheduled.

The multi-hulled catamaran is in a shipyard at Saint-Malo on France's west coast, awaiting the installation of solar panels, wind turbines and electrolysis equipment, which breaks down water to produce its component elements, hydrogen and oxygen.

"We are going to be the first boat with an autonomous means of producing hydrogen," says Frenchman Victorien Erussard, who is behind the project -- confidential until now -- with compatriot Jacques Delafosse, a documentary filmmaker and professional scuba diver.

Sun, wind, hydrogen

The plan is for the boat's batteries, which will feed the electric motors, to be powered in good weather by solar and wind energy, explains the 37-year-old merchant navy officer with a smile.

"If there's no Sun or wind, or if it's night, stored hydrogen -- generated by electrolysis powered by the solar panels and two wind turbines -- will take over," he says.

As a result, the vessel's trip will not use any carbon-emitting fossil fuels, as is the case for 96 percent of boats today.

The vessel itself has a storied past.

The catamaran won the Jules Verne trophy, for a team sailing non-stop round the world, in 1994. It was bought for 500,000 euros ($562,000) and extended by a whopping six metres, to 30.5 metres (100 feet), for the project.

One of the backers of the endeavour is well-known French environmentalist Nicolas Hulot.

"I support it because it's the first project of this kind to actually be undertaken, it's ambitious and looking toward the future," Hulot, a former special envoy on environmental protection to President Francois Hollande, told AFP.

"It's very promising for marine transport," Hulot added. "The Energy Observer is going to demonstrate that you can have great autonomy (at sea) and you can store and find energy when there isn't any more wind or sun."

Victorien Erussard, French skipper of 'Energy Observer', the first boat to be powered

 solely by renewable energies and hydrogen, poses for a photo in Saint-Malo, on

September 6, 2016 (AFP Photo/Loic Venance)

'Great challenge'

The Energy Observer was designed in partnership with a team of naval architects and the CEA-Liten research institute in the French city of Grenoble, which is dedicated to renewable energy technologies.

At a total cost of 4.2 million euros ($4.72 million), the green energy boat will be fitted with sensors to act as veritable moving laboratory for CEA-Liten, whose director Florence Lambert describes the project as a "great challenge" to take on.

"Energy Observer is emblematic of what will be the energy networks of tomorrow, with solutions that could even be used within five years," says Lambert.

"For example, the houses of tomorrow could incorporate a system of hydrogen storage, which is produced during the summer months and then used in the winter."

The head of the project at CEA-Liten, Didier Bouix, adds that hydrogen can store "20 times more energy" than conventional batteries.

Six-year world tour

Energy Observer's world tour is expected to take six years. After a careful crossing of the Mediterranean, the catamaran will venture out into the Atlantic and then Pacific oceans.

In all, 101 stopovers are planned from Cuba to New Caledonia to Goa on India's west coast.

There are still hurdles to overcome, not least in funding: the Energy Observer's trip is expected to cost a minimum of four million euros a year, notably to develop a traveling exhibition.

But the team says it is confident of getting the funds.

And once again it finds inspiration from its airplane mentor Solar Impulse -- which flew around the world on renewable energy and accomplished "what everyone said was impossible," said Delafosse.

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Obama highlights environment on Pacific atoll

Yahoo – AFP, Andrew Beatty, September 2, 2016

US President Barack Obama tours Midway Atoll in the North Pacific marine
reserve of Papahanaumokuakea on September 1, 2016 (AFP Photo/Saul Loeb)

Midway Island (United States) (AFP) - President Barack Obama went off the beaten track Thursday -- way off -- to a newly expanded marine reserve on an atoll in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, part of an effort to polish his environmental legacy.

Obama flew three hours west of his native Honolulu to Midway Atoll, on the far northwestern tip of the Hawaiian island chain.

The atoll is situated at the heart of Papahanaumokuakea, a vast Pacific marine reserve given protected status by then-president George W. Bush in 2006.

Obama recently quadrupled its size to make it the world's largest marine reserve, home to 7,000 marine species, including many endangered birds as well as the Hawaiian monk seal and black coral, which can live for 4,500 years.

"This is going to be a precious resource for generations to come," Obama told reporters on Midway's Turtle Beach.

All the atoll's 40 inhabitants -- mostly US Fish and Wildlife Service staff -- greeted him.

Until recently, the area was perhaps best known to military history buffs.

Seventy-four years ago, the Battle of Midway was a decisive naval fight in World War II that turned the tide of the war against Japan.

Obama praised the "courage and perseverance" of the vastly outnumbered American soldiers who repelled Japanese forces. "This is hallowed ground," he said.

Now, he added, protecting the vast ecosystem "allows us to study and research and understand our oceans better than we ever have before."

Map and details of what is the world's largest marine reserve, just established

in Hawaii. (AFP Photo/Alain BOMMENEL, Simon MALFATTO, Kun TIAN)

'Existential threat'

The president was later set to go snorkeling with friends away from journalists, the White House said.

Since taking office in 2009, he has designated more protected areas than any of his predecessors using the Antiquities Act, signed in 1906 by Theodore Roosevelt, who established the first national monuments.

For the outgoing president, the visit is part of an eight-year effort to put the environment and tackling climate change higher on the political agenda.

Scientists would be able to undertake "critically important" study of climate change in the marine reserve, he said.

Although Bush created Papahanaumokuakea, he also earned international scorn by rejecting the global climate deal reached at Kyoto.

Obama, in contrast, has led the charge to secure the recently struck Paris climate agreement.

"Rising temperatures and sea levels pose an existential threat to your countries," he said in Honolulu earlier to representatives of Pacific island nations at the World Conservation Congress, a major conference of thousands of delegates, including heads of state, scientists and policy makers.

"And while some members of the US Congress still seem to be debating whether climate change is real or not, many of you are already planning for new places for your people to live," he added.

Asked on Midway whether he would focus on tackling climate change as part of his work after he leaves office in January, Obama said he may try to influence Republican politicians who deny the phenomenon.

"This is something that all of us are going to have to tackle and maybe I get a little more of a hearing if I'm not occupying a political office," he said.

After his Hawaii visit, Obama is set to attend a G20 meeting in China, where he is expected to announce the joint formal joining of the Paris climate accord with President Xi Jinping.

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Sun Moon Lake's diesel yachts to give way to electric boats

Want China Times, CNA 2013-05-31

The Guo Yi No. 2, powered by lithium-ion batteries, started operating
in February. (Photo/Shen Hui-sheng)

The more-than 100 diesel yachts on Sun Moon Lake in central Taiwan's Nantou county will be replaced with electric boats over the next 14 years to help improve environmental and tourism quality, the administration office of the national scenic area said Wednesday.

The office said a subsidy program to encourage ferry operators and tourist yachts owners to convert from diesel to electric will run until 2027.

Under the program, participants can receive a subsidy up to a maximum of NT$7.1 million (US$235,000) or less than 50% of the cost of rebuilding a boat or installing relevant equipment.

For example, the owner of the first tourist boat covered by the program this year has receive a subsidy of NT$6.1 million, said Chen Yi-chuan, an office section chief.

The vessel, the Guo Yi No. 2, which started operating in February, is powered by lithium-ion batteries that only need to be recharged every eight hours. This allows around 12 round trips on the lake per charge, Chen said.

The office provided subsidies for two boats last year, and two more electric boats covered under the program will start operations later this year, he added.

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Isle of Wight Council to invest in tidal power

BBC News, 17 March 2012 

The Isle of Wight Council wants to create a multi-million pound tidal energy facility off its coast to supply the island with electricity.

The wave farm would be installed on the seabed off
St Catherine's Point 

The authority has already pledged £1m towards creating the Solent Ocean Energy Centre off St Catherine's Point on the south of the island.

The £1m has been matched by private sector investment, which will fund phase one of the scheme, to get the licences and consents for the site and seabed.

Phase two, to build a test bed and demonstration site, is expected to cost in the region of £21m, but two applications for government Regional Growth Funding in 2011 have already been turned down.

The success of the project now hinges on private sector investment.

Revenue and jobs

John Metcalfe, deputy director of economy and tourism at the site, said: "We have already got an agreement in principal with between 10 and 12 companies interested in the project. We've got companies committed from Canada, Finland as well as the UK."

The council has been working with the University of Southampton to gauge the potential of the project and it hopes, by 2014, private sector companies will begin basing their own tidal energy equipment at the site, generating revenue for the authority and jobs for islanders.

Stuart Love, the council's director of economy and environment, said: "We have been working very closely with Southampton University to demonstrate that there is the potential off our coast, not only to generate enough power for the island and more, but to create 700 jobs in the Solent region and up to 5,000 nationally so that is a significant impact on our economy.

"One of our key focuses as a local authority is trying to do what we can to boost the island's economy.

"We are proposing that we put money into this on the basis that in the long term that money will get paid back and once we have created the right environment the private sector will come in and will spend their money.

"The potential not just in terms of energy generation and sustainability for the island, but the number of jobs this will create and the impact for the UK's economy is massive."

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"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Lose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Pedal wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.)  - New !    

Cargo boat and US navy ship set sail on 'green' algal oil in marine fuel trials

Substituting the biofuel for bunker fuel may bring about a revolution in the world's shipping fleets

guardian.co.uk, John Vidal, environment editor, Friday 13 January 2012

A Maersk container ship. The results of subsituting algal oil for bunker fuel
 are being evaluated by the shipping company. Photograph: Roland
Magunia/AFP/Getty Images

Giant cargo boats and US navy warships have been successfully powered on oil derived from genetically modified, microscopic algae in moves which could see a revolution in the fuel used by the world's fleets and a reduction in the pollution they cause.

The results of substituting algal oil for low-grade, "bunker" fuel and diesel in a 98,000-tonne container ship are still being evaluated by Maersk, the world's biggest shipping company, who last week tested 30 tonnes of oil supplied by the US navy in a vessel travelling from Europe to India. Last month the navy tested 20,000 gallons of algal fuel for a few hours on a decommissioned destroyer. Both ran their trials on a mix of algal oil – between 7% and 100% – and conventional bunker fuel.

"The tests are not complete yet but we had very few problems," said a Maersk spokesman.

Collaboration between the world's two biggest shipping fleets is expected to lead to the deployment of renewable marine fuels. Maersk uses more than $6bn of bunker fuel a year for its 1,300 ships, and the US navy, the world's biggest single user of marine fuels, burns around 40m barrels of oil a year. The navy plans to test more ships on algal fuel next year as part of its "green fleet" initiative and has pledged to cut 50% of its conventional oil use a year by 2020 to reduce US imports. Maersk hopes to achieve similar cuts in the same time.

"Shipping takes 350m tonnes of oil a year and causes 3-4% of all greenhouse gas emissions, so it is very attractive to find alternatives. We can envisage [the world's] ships being 10% or more powered by biofuels in 20 years' time," said Jacob Sterling, Maersk head of climate and environment.

The exact nature of the algae, one of 30,000 single-cell organisms known to exist in the wild, is a closely guarded secret of Solazyme, the company which manufactures the fuel in giant fermentation tanks in Pennsylvania. The fast-growing algae are fed crop or forest waste and convert their sugars to oil.

"The technology is there. The question now is how to scale up," said Tyler Painterm, chief finance officer of Solazyme, which has a contract to produce 450,000 gallons of biofuels for the navy's trial. "We have tested thousands of algae, found in swamps, in mountains and at sea and we know we can be competitive. By using different strains of algae we can produce different kinds of oils."

The company, which is set to expand shortly with a 50m gallon-a-year plant in Brazil, is backed by oil company Chevron, giant US agribusiness Bunge, and Sir Richard Branson whose Virgin airline has tested planes on algal fuel.

Unlike early biofuels, which made transport fuel from food crops, the new "second generation" process uses only plant waste and does not displace foods which could be fed to people or animals. Nevertheless, immense amounts of feedstock would be needed to power the world's ships. Maersk estimates it could take the crop waste of an area half the size of Denmark to completely power their ships.

But even a partial switch to algal oils would massively reduce air pollution. Bunker fuel, which is little more than asphalt, can produce as much pollution from a single ship in a year as 50m cars, is the most polluting fuel in the world.

But there is uncertainty over how much algal fuels would reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Algae sequester CO2 when growing, but they release it when burned as oil. Solazyme and Maersk claim that they reduce carbon emissions by 80% compared with petroleum derived fuels in a "lifetime" analysis.

The race is on between different companies to produce competitive algal oils. In October 2010, the US Navy purchased 20,055 gallons on algae biofuel at $424 per gallon, but by December 2011, the price had reduced to $26.67 per gallon. Meanwhile, Craig Venter, the scientist who first sequenced the human genome and designed the first synthetic cell, is trying to develop a genetically engineered algae fuel that depends only on sunlight and sea water and can be grown and harvested at sea.

In an interview in this month's Scientific American, he said: "We need three major ingredients: CO2, sunlight and seawater, aside from having the facility and refinery to convert all those things. We're looking at sites around the world that have the major ingredient. To us, this is a long-term plan."

If the US navy does switch to algae or other biofuels, it would mark the end of an era of oil-burning navies ushered in by Winston Churchill. In 1911, as British navy minister, he controversially ordered the massive British fleet to switch from coal to oil for efficiency.

Two years later he bought for the UK government a 51% controlling interest in the then small Anglo-Persian Oil Company. Within a few years, the company changed its name to BP, and is now the world's fourth largest corporation.

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Dutch spaceman showcases eco-friendly yacht

RNW, 17 August 2010 - 2:40pm | By Willemien Groot

(Photo: RNW )

The sleek exterior design already hints at the vessel's high-tech interior. Sailing yacht Ecolution, the work of former astronaut Wubbo Ockels, generates its own electricity and is constructed from sustainable materials. If Mr Ockels has his way, it will be the yacht of the future.

The secret of the 25-metre two-master lies under the waves. There the Ecolution conceals two vast carbon propellers that generate power while she sails. The resulting electricity is stored in two batteries which also provide the necessary ballast. Five days of sailing produces sufficient energy for a whole month's creature comforts on board.

Fully fitted

On board there are four toilets, underfloor heating, a fully fitted kitchen including a microwave, a dishwasher and an oven, and even a shower and steam cabin. The vessel can sail into port using electric motors. In an emergency, the crew can resort to biodiesel. For this purpose, the ship has two separate engine rooms.

The Ecolution will experience its baptism of fire this week at Sail Amsterdam, where it will be given pride of place in the parade of tall ships bound for Amsterdam. During Sail 2010, the Ecolution will be open to the public and this coming winter it will be on display in Scheveningen harbour near The Hague.

One planet

Wubbo Ockels, who became the first Dutchman in space 25 years ago, has since made a name for himself as an advocate of sustainable solutions. His message is simple: we only have one planet, so we have to handle it with care. Mr Ockels' has previously championed a solar-powered car and a super bus that can reach speeds of up to 250 kilometres an hour.

The former astronaut is determined to test his latest invention in person, with the eventual aim of building more. The price of these special yachts is expected to be around four million euros. Given the price tag, it comes as scant consolation that there are no additional crew expenses. It only takes one or two people to man the Ecolution.

Video in Dutch

Websites:

Ecolution home page

Sail Amsterdam 2010

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DEWARUCI (Indonesia)

Largest-Ever Solar-Powered Boat Prepares for a World Tour

POPSCI, By Alessandra Calderin,7.22.2010 at 10:23 am

PlanetSolar / Christian Charisius

In February, the Swiss company PlanetSolar SA unveiled PlanetSolar, a floating test bed for renewable energy, during a ceremony held in Kiel, Germany. The $15-million catamaran measures 49 feet wide, 25 feet high and 102 feet long and weighs 94 tons. It is equipped with 5,380 square feet of photovoltaic solar panels, and its four motors run entirely on solar power (when it’s cloudy out, energy stored in batteries powers the boat).

The designers purposely eschewed fuel-powered engines to emphasize the need to conserve global resources. The company’s scientific coordinator and COO, Pascal Goulpié, hopes that its size and visibility—the boat will make a world tour next year—will inspire others to pursue alternative-energy ventures throughout the next decade.

Proposal mandates stricter pollution controls for ships

The Washington Post, by Juliet Eilperin, Washington Post Staff Writer, Friday, March 26, 2010; 5:41 PM

To curb air pollution, large tankers, container ships and cruise boats will have to use low-sulfur fuels when passing through U.S. and Canadian coastal waters, under a proposal adopted by a United Nations rulemaking body Friday.

Vessels traveling within 200 nautical miles of most of the two nations' coasts will have to cut their fuel sulfur content by 98 percent. The rules approved by the International Maritime Organization will be phased in from 2012 and new ships will have to use advanced pollution control technology starting in 2016.

"This is a change that will benefit millions of people and set in motion new innovations for the shipping industry," EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said in a statement.

Rich Kassel, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said, "Communities up and down the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf Coasts will feel the air quality improvements -- and the benefits will even extend hundreds of miles inland, reaching as far away as Nevada, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and the Grand Canyon."

While the cruise industry had opposed the plan for months, it did not object to the standards during Friday's vote in London, where the IMO is headquartered. Ramon Alvarez, a senior scientist with Environmental Defense Fund, said only a small number of ships have switched to the low-sulfur fuel voluntarily because it's twice as expensive.

More than 30 U.S. ports are in metropolitan areas that fail to meet federal air quality standards.

"It will mean higher operating costs, but we believe the tradeoff is to successfully address the problems U.S. port communities have faced," said Chris Koch, president of the World Shipping Council.

S. William Becker, executive director for the National Association of Clean Air Agencies, said the vote "demonstrates how effective the international community can be at solving a major health and environmental problem."

The United States and Canada jointly made the proposal a year ago.

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Bringing the reefs back to life

Marcella Segre, Contributor The Jakarta Post, Gili Trawangan, West Nusa Tenggara | Tue, 01/12/2010 10:40 AM

Imagine diving off one of the beautiful shores of the Gili islands in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, and finding yourself facing fishermen equipped with dynamite and destroying the coral reef.

It would be far from picture perfect, but this was the reality before the Gili EcoTrust, a not-for-profit environmental organization, was set up in the area in 2002 and signed an agreement with fishermen a few years later in collaboration with the local Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA).

The fish bombing has now ended, thanks to the action of the local protection and conservation officials. But there is a need to continue supporting the action to ensure fishermen no longer return to their old practice and damage the reefs.

Following joint efforts by officials, the Gili EcoTrust and the local dive centers, fishermen from Muroamy on the Gili islands are only allowed to fish in two designated areas.

They also receive a monthly compensation that will be considerably reduced if they are caught out of the designated areas or fishing with invasive methods such as dynamite and cyanide. The compensation system is funded by a fee collected by dive centers and has proved to be very successful.

“It was hard to convince the fishermen, but now our islands are more beautiful and more and more tourists come to the Gilis. It has benefited us all,” says Hari, a resident of Gili Air.

Through the years, the Gili EcoTrust has expanded its activities that now include a range of actions focused on the protection of the environment in the islands as a whole.

The group has a lot of work left to raise awareness among local people and tourists to reduce their environmental impact on a delicate ecosystem that has already been irreparably damaged.

Information boards have been placed all around Gili Trawangan and Gili Air to provide basic tips about eco-friendly behavior for taking a shower or walking on the beach.

In Gili Trawangan, a Clean-up Day is held every first Friday of the month, and students from the tourism school and Islamic school are given ecology classes.

Group effort: Divers take part in Biorock workshop to restore the reefs off the Gili islands in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. Thanks to these Biorock structures, the reefs are now undergoing a rapid restoration process.

The Gili EcoTrust is actively involved in the implementation of the Biorock project in the Gilis. Thanks to these Biorock structures, the reefs off the Gili islands are now undergoing a rapid restoration process. The structures are electrified steel structures allow mineral accretion and therefore speed up the process of growth of the pieces of coral attached to them.

To date, 33 structures have been put place to restore the coral reef, making the Gili islands the second-largest Biorock site in Indonesia after Pemuteran in Bali.

The Gili EcoTrust also hosts regular international workshops on Biorock technology. Participants learn every step of the installation of Biorock reefs: how to survey suitable sites in terms of the seabed, currents and waves; how to connect the cables; how to attach the coral and ensure the maintenance of the structures.

The workshops, organized in close collaboration with Mataram University, address worldwide participants, with emphasis given to teachers and students’ participation to ensure the project’s sustainability.

The Gili islands are also the testing ground for erosion-resistant Biorock structures.

It is one of the few sites in the world where the experimental structures have been placed. There are currently three such sites around Gili Trawangan.

“It’s not very nice to look at, but it’s working,” says dive master Seb.

“You can see them at low tide, sticking out of the water. It looks like a bunch of steel, cement and building material. But in only 10 months, the beach is already back.”

Young spirit: Local students do their part during the Clean-Up Day.

It is part of a more comprehensive erosion-resistance scheme on the islands, where land erosion is a real problem as the beach is fast disappearing.

In Gili Air, there have been attempts to counter the erosion by placing rubble or growing mangroves on the shores. Another technique introduced by the Gili EcoTrust is the planting of vetiver grass.

“This is the best and most sustainable method to preserve our beaches,” says Gili EcoTrust manager Delphine Robbe.

She says hotels and businesses tend to place sandbags or to build seawalls, which actually do not slow down the waves but deflect them, thus taking more and more sand off the beach.

The roots of vetiver grass can reach as deep as 5 meters, so it holds the sand much more effectively and also provides a more natural look.

The organization is now working to create a network with other environmental organizations, industries and businesses, such as by establishing eco-guidelines for their properties and collecting an “Eco fee” from guests. Recycled bags are also being printed and distributed in order to phase out plastic bags.

In Gili Trawangan, garbage is collected and brought to the dump in the middle of the island. A new incinerator will be built and a path made of recycled material leading to the dump is under construction.

“Rubbish is a major problem on all three islands,” Hari says. “There’s an urgent need to tackle the issue seriously.”

— Photos courtesy of Delphine Robbe

US vows 'huge' marine protection

The US is to establish what it calls "the largest area of protected sea in the world" around its Pacific islands.

 

By Richard Black, Environment correspondent, BBC News website 

Rose Atoll - "the highest proportion of live coral cover anywhere in the world"

 

Commercial fishing and mining will be banned in the protected zones which include the Marianas Trench, the deepest area of ocean on the planet.

 

The area totals 500,000 sq km (190,000 sq miles) of sea and sea floor.

 

While welcoming the protection package, environmental activists said that without curbing climate change, the other measures would be meaningless.

 

President George W Bush will formally announce the measure during an address on Tuesday evening in Washington.

     

Briefing journalists in advance, his environmental advisor James Connaughton said the move meant the US was "setting the mark for the world with respect to effective marine management".

 

"The conservation action is going to benefit the public and future generations through enhanced science, knowledge and awareness, and just good old-fashioned inspiration, because these places are exceptionally dynamic when it comes to the marine environment," said the chairman of the White House council on environmental quality.

 

The areas covered include some of the islands most remote from the world's large populations centres, which have not so far encountered the intense fishing present across much of the oceans.

They also encompass some of the most biologically diverse places on the planet, undersea volcanoes and hot seafloor vents, and submarine pools of sulphur thought to be unique on Earth.

 

War monuments

 

The measure involves establishing three new "national monuments" around different US territories in the Pacific.

      

Together they encompass the Marianas Trench and the long arc of volcanoes and undersea vents along the Mariana Islands chain, south of Japan and north of Papua New Guinea; coral reefs around the three northernmost islands of the Marianas; and eight more coral atolls and islands.

 

The Marianas group includes islands such as Saipan and Tinian which played significant roles in World War II, and Guam which is still a major US base.

 

One of the other places now receiving protection, Johnston Atoll, was formerly used to stockpile chemical weapons.

 

Mr Connaughton said the national monuments would be established in a way "that also fully respects our nation's national security needs by ensuring freedom of navigation for all vessels in accordance with international law and by ensuring that our military can stay ready and be globally mobile".

The pink corals of Palmyra Atoll can reflect on their new protection

 

The Marianas Trench, which reaches depths of about 11km (about seven miles), and the string of volcanoes and vents will be protected from mineral exploration.

The coral areas will also see a complete ban on commercial fishing out to 50 nautical miles from shore.

"It's very significant both from an ecological and biological perspective as well as in its political symbolism," said Joshua Reichert, managing director of the Pew Environment Group.

     

"In the Marianas alone, the area that's been protected contains some of world's most exceptional geology. Rose Atoll has the highest proportion of live coral cover anywhere in the world."

 

Brendan Cummings, oceans programme director at the Center for Biological Diversity which has brought several court actions against the Bush administration on climate change, also welcomed the commercial fishing ban but said curbing greenhouse emissions was also vital for the long-term preservation of corals.

 

"Unless we deal with global warming, all other protective measures for coral reefs will be rendered meaningless," he said.

 

"Ultimately, Bush's legacy as a climate criminal will far outweigh his ocean legacy, as any benefit coral reefs receive from this monument designation will be bleached away by warming seas."

 

As well as warming the oceans, rising carbon dioxide emissions are slowly reducing the alkalinity of seawater, which is also projected to have a detrimental effect on coral growth.

 

President Bush's administration has come under fire in recent months from environmentalists angered by its reluctance to cut carbon emissions, by its moves to weaken endangered species legislation and by its support for naval use of sonar systems that can kill whales.

 

But, said Mr Reichert, the outgoing president has "protected more special places in the sea than any other person in history".

 

Richard.Black-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk

 

 

Related Information:

WOC Website