Latest Oceans News

What to know about Vanuatu, the Pacific island nation struggling to recover from a massive quake

Dec. 20, 2024 01:28 AM EST

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A search expanded on Thursday for those killed or trapped alive by an earthquake in the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, as rescue workers arriving from abroad fanned out through the capital, Port Vila, encountering flattened buildings that had not yet been...

Cyclone Chido leaves Mayotte reeling. Warmer oceans fueled it

Dec. 18, 2024 15:14 PM EST

The Indian Ocean archipelago of Mayotte is reeling from Cyclone Chido, the most intense storm to hit the French territory in 90 years. At least 22 people have been killed since Chido made landfall on Saturday, as high winds swept away entire neighborhoods, damaged major...

Global demand spurring Indonesia's mining boom comes at a cost for many communities

Dec. 18, 2024 08:37 AM EST

KABAENA, Indonesia (AP) — The crystal blue waters that once surrounded Kabaena are murky brown now, and the octopi and colorful fish that locals used to catch nearby to eat and sell have fled. The lush seaweed they used to harvest is gone. And parents who grew up swimming happily in the Flores...

Damaged Russian ships spilled an estimated 3,700 tons of oil in Kerch Strait, state media says

Dec. 16, 2024 12:56 PM EST

MOSCOW (AP) — An estimated 3,700 tons of low-grade fuel oil had spilled into the Kerch Strait after two Russian ships were seriously damaged by stormy weather, Russian state media reported Monday. The two ships, the Volgoneft 239 and the Volgoneft 212, were transporting roughly...

Oil spill in Kerch Strait after two Russian oil tankers seriously damaged in storm

Dec. 15, 2024 10:59 AM EST

MOSCOW (AP) — Two Russian oil tankers have been seriously damaged following a storm in the Kerch Strait, spilling oil and sparking an emergency rescue operation, Russian officials told state news outlets Sunday. Some reports said at least one of the vessels later sank. ...

Some in seafood industry see Trump as fishermen's friend, but tariffs could make for pricier fish

Dec. 13, 2024 00:29 AM EST

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump is likely to bring big changes for one of the oldest sectors of the U.S. economy — seafood — and some in the industry believe the returning president will be more responsive to its needs. ...

Second-warmest November on record means that 2024 is likely to be Earth's hottest year, report says

Dec. 08, 2024 22:06 PM EST

Earth just experienced its second-warmest November on record — second only to 2023 — making it all but certain that 2024 will end as the hottest year ever measured, according to a report Monday by European climate service Copernicus. Last year was the hottest on record due to...

Closely-watched international climate case in the Hague wraps up its first week of testimony

Dec. 06, 2024 13:53 PM EST

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A closely-watched international climate case that could yield guidance for governments around the world wrapped its first week of arguments before the top court of the United Nations in The Hague Friday. The case, though not binding, is expected to spell out what...

Quake prompts brief tsunami warning on the West Coast. Here's what to know about tsunamis

Dec. 05, 2024 17:17 PM EST

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The powerful earthquake that struck in Northern California on Thursday prompted a brief tsunami warning affecting about 5 million people along a stretch of the West Coast — from Northern California to Oregon — before being canceled. Here are some things to know about...

Climate solution: Sails make a comeback in shipping, to dent its huge carbon footprint

Dec. 02, 2024 02:02 AM EST

SAINT-MALO, France (AP) — Had he continued working aboard fuel-powered cargo ships, Yann Jourdan reckons he'd be earning perhaps four times what he now gets as captain of a sailboat that instead uses the wind's clean energy to transport goods across the Atlantic. But the hit to...