Global Scans · Life Below Water · Weekly Summary

In September 2015, 193 world leaders agreed to 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development. If these Goals are completed, it would mean an end to extreme poverty, inequality and climate change by 2030.
Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

• [New] The PRC is constructing a runway, piers, a helipad, and various buildings on what could be the PRC's largest South China Sea naval base. American Enterprise Institute - AEI
• [New] The PRC appears to have completed construction on an artificial island in Antelope Reef that could serve as the PRC's largest naval base in the South China Sea. American Enterprise Institute - AEI
• [New] Falling fish populations and reduced seafood production could undermine food security for billions of people around the world who depend on the ocean as an important source of nutrition. ScienceDaily
• [New] The NCM expects slight sea conditions in the Sea of Oman, with gentle waves, reaching heights of two feet on-shore and three feet off-shore. Emirates 24|7
• [New] The Panama Canal will continue to closely monitor weather conditions, watershed inflows, and lake levels. Autoridad del Canal de Panama
• [New] Remnants of Tropical Storm Dolly, which has been downgraded to an open tropical wave, were moving still across the Atlantic Ocean toward the Leeward Islands, and could bring heavy rainfall to parts of the Caribbean this weekend. The Guardian
• [New] Although still modest, Arctic crude flows could provide a growing offset to Russia's Black Sea export losses, potentially affecting both the discount applied to Russian crude and the effectiveness of Western sanctions over the medium term. investing.com
• [New] Retreating sea ice is extending the summer navigation season, while disruption in the Middle East has made traditional shipping routes through Suez and the Strait of Hormuz longer, more expensive and less predictable. investing.com
• [New] The oceans will keep getting hotter until the current El Nino - a natural temporary warming of parts of the Pacific that then warps weather and raises temperatures globally - reaches its peak, which is expected sometime between November and January. Al Jazeera
• [New] Geopolitical & Climate Risks Red Sea and Middle East disruptions continue to affect vessel routing, while Panama Canal constraints and low Rhine River levels can further reduce effective capacity. LinkedIn
• [New] As waterways around the world face growing risks and restrictions, vessels can quickly find themselves caught out, whether on the wrong side of a strait as access rules change during negotiations or on a river whose water levels have fallen sharply. Atlantic Council
• Perseverance will continue drilling rock samples in the Red Planet's Jezero Crater, which NASA believes was an ancient lake that could have supported primitive life. DebateUS
• Nepal is continuing to monitor two barrier lakes upstream of the flood zone, with an official warning that flood risks will persist until both lakes fully drain. The Guardian
• An artificial lake had formed after a mudslide hit the Tibet-Nepal border, posing a risk of sending flood waters downstream. The Guardian

Last updated: 20 September 2026