China Mapping Ocean Floor Ready for Submarine Warfare
shows that China's mapping also covers waters surrounding Guam – where some American nuclear submarines are stationed.Strikingly, Chinese vessels have also mapped waters around Hawaii, one of America's other regional military hubs; examined an underwater ridge north of a naval base in Papua New Guinea to which the U.S. recently gained access; and scouted around Christmas Island, an Australian territory on a route between the South China Sea and a vital Australian submarine base.China's efforts extend further. It has mapped large swaths of the Indian Ocean, a critical route for Chinese
China Maps Ocean Floor as It Builds Submarine Warfare Capability
shows that China's mapping also covers waters surrounding Guam – where some American nuclear submarines are stationed.Strikingly, Chinese vessels have also mapped waters around Hawaii, one of America's other regional military hubs; examined an underwater ridge north of a naval base in Papua New Guinea to which the U.S. recently gained access; and scouted around Christmas Island, an Australian territory on a route between the South China Sea and a vital Australian submarine base.China's efforts extend further. It has mapped large swaths of the Indian Ocean, a critical route for Chinese
Google to Build Subsea Cables for PNG
Papua New Guinea’s Acting Minister for Information and Communications Technology, Hon. Peter Tsiamalili Jr., has officially announced the $120 million Pukpuk Connectivity Initiative that will deliver three new submarine cable systems to Papua New Guinea, strengthening the nation’s digital backbone with high-capacity connectivity to Northern Papua New Guinea, Southern Papua New Guinea and the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.The project is being entirely funded through Australia’s commitments under the Pukpuk Treaty, a mutual defence treaty which recognises that an armed attack on
Novel Hydrothermal System Links Two Seabed Phenomena
An international research team led by the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel has discovered a globally unique system on the seabed off the coast of Papua New Guinea.During their expedition aboard the research vessel Sonne, they came across the “Karambusel” field, where two processes occur simultaneously: the release of hot hydrothermal fluids and unusually high amounts of methane and other hydrocarbons.This combination makes the system unique worldwide.It lies at a depth of around 1,300 meters on a flank of Conical Seamount in the western Pacific, off the island of Lihir in
Good Ocean, Good Business
is an estimated 3.5 million square miles of ocean space suitable for finfish mariculture and about five times that suitable for seaweed production. It’s a potential that is being realized around the world as new projects generate benefits for rural communities, cities and the environment.In Papua New Guinea, the UN Sustainable Development Group is focusing on creating meaningful, sustainable livelihoods for women and youth in Kimbe Bay, a biodiversity hotspot that is home to the second-largest number of coral reef species in the world.The community there has been heavily reliant on fishing, but
GFCR Partners Pledge Over $25m for Coral Reefs
10 million hectares of marine and coastal ecosystems—including approximately 5 percent of the planet’s remaining coral reefs. As part of this portfolio, GFCR and UNCDF announced at UNOC the launch of a USD$1 million portfolio guarantee facility to support reef-positive enterprises in Papua New Guinea. Structured in partnership with Women’s Micro Bank and UNDP, the facility will unlock over PGK 5.7 million in loans for sustainable, women-led MSMEs that strengthen reef and community resilience. By 2030, the GFCR aims to catalyze over 400 reef-positive businesses and sustainable financing
DeepOcean Expands Subsea Market Scope with Shelf Subsea Acquisition
offers engineering and project management for subsea construction and installation, subsea survey and positioning services, subsea IMR services, as well as removal and recycling of subsea assets.Shelf Subsea is headquartered in Australia, with further offices in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Saudi Arabia. The company has approximately 200 employees.It currently operates a fleet of three chartered multipurpose dive support vessels, multiple ROVs, various subsea installation equipment, plus a number of diving systems.“DeepOcean and Shelf Subsea offer similar services, but
Global Coral Bleaching Crisis Spreading
.In December 2024, a weak La Nina pattern, which typically brings cooler ocean temperatures, gave scientists hope that corals might recover, but it only lasted three months.Instead, the bleaching has continued to spread, said NOAA Coral Reef Watch coordinator Derek Manzello. The Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea were recently added to the list of 82 countries and territories registering bleaching-level heat stress in their waters.It will take scientists years to understand the global extent of coral reef death, but they say they have already observed widespread mortality in parts of the Caribbean, Red
WW2 Shipwreck Found 81 Years After Tragic Sinking
, ending a tragic chapter of the country's history.Marles said the SS Montevideo Maru, an unmarked prisoner of war transport vessel missing since being sunk off the Philippines' coast in July 1942, had been discovered northwest of Luzon island.The ship was torpedoed en route from what is now Papua New Guinea to China's Hainan by a U.S. submarine, unaware of the POWs onboard. It is considered Australia's worst maritime disaster.The long-awaited find comes ahead of April 25 commemorations for Anzac Day, a major day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand for their troops killed in all
February 2026
