War Memorial Queensland’s Kenilworth war memorial seems unremarkable to the average passerby. If you blink, you’ll miss it, and even if you don’t blink, you might still miss it. But a keener observer would notice that there are four services represented. Along with the navy, army and air force, the memorial honours the merchant navy,
India’s Knee Jerk Approach to China’s Maritime Dominance The nationalist fervor prevailing in India is spilling into the maritime sphere and its nationalists visualise the 7,500 km coastline as a connecting artery with the world's busiest shipping routes. It is perceived that China has invested heavily in Sri Lankan ports at Colombo and Hambantota. India’s
LNG Vessels & Mergers The European Commission has blocked the proposed merger between Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering and Hyundai Heavy Industries on the premise that a monopoly would be established in the construction of large Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) vessels which are an integral component of the LNG supply chain and ensure energy security.
Iranian Port of Chabahar exempted from US from sanctions The motive behind exempting the Iranian Port of Chabahar from sanctions by the US is attributed to its desire to bolster its ally India. Ostensibly the rationale espoused is that the Afghan economy being a continuous drain on international assistance requires a trading route through Iran.
Reclamation in the South China Sea & Environmental Impact The South China Sea extends from a southwestern boundary along the parallel between Kalimantan and Sumatra northeast to a line drawn from the northern tip of Taiwan to the coast of Fukien, China. This semi enclosed marine area is bordered by China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau,
Economic & Commercial Maritime Energy Rivalry - Urals Oil Russia’s Urals oil is used as a reference brand for pricing of export oil mixture with the other main reference brand being Brent. It comprises a mix of heavy sour oil of Urals and the Volga Region blended with light oil of Western Siberia Urals crude
Tibetan Plateau & China's Water Games The Tibetan Plateau has become a party to an insidious water game and some of the countries in the region remain blissfully unaware of the sinister moves afoot. The Tibetan plateau’s glaciers and altitude makes Tibet the world’s third largest freshwater repository. This is why it is occasionally termed
China's Quest for Seaports Access & LNG Trade Commerce dependent on seaborne trade: The Chinese Communist Party declared that “maritime power” status was essential to realizing its national ambitions. In 2017 China’s imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) rose by an unanticipated 46 % reflected in 16 operational LNG terminals importing 71 bcm emphasizing that
Loan for Hambantota Port The Port of Colombo is located near the route between the Strait of Malacca and the Suez Canal, which is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Around 36,000 vessels pass annually on this key corridor between Asia and Europe, including about 4,500 tankers. As the Port of Colombo has been
By Nadir Mumtaz Coastal Province of Balochistan & Reko Diq Copper Gold Project The province of Balochistan covers almost 44% of the country in term of area yet the population is only 5% of Pakistan’s population. Its potential natural resources are still geologically undiscovered. Alarmingly net foreign direct investment in Pakistan dipped by 2.9%
