Methane Hydrate Mining Could Soon Become Economically Viable
In October 2025, the flame used in the lighting ceremony for China's 15th National Games was sourced from methane hydrate, or combustible ice, harvested from a depth of 1,522 meters in the South China Sea.Symbolic of the rising interest in methane hydrate as an energy source, the move coincides with increasing attention from researchers in Asia and around the world.Gas hydrates are a crystalline solids that look and act much like ice but contains huge amounts of methane. They exist in marine sediments or in association with Arctic permafrost and are not stable at normal sea-level temperatures and
China Mapping Ocean Floor Ready for Submarine Warfare
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 imports of oil and other resources from the Middle East and Africa."China has some key vulnerabilities when it comes to dependencies on
China Maps Ocean Floor as It Builds Submarine Warfare Capability
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 imports of oil and other resources from the Middle East and Africa."China has some key vulnerabilities when it comes to dependencies on
New Year, New Gear: Threats, Modularity, and Agility to Drive Subsea Defense in 2026
Annapolis-based Oceanetics.Critical Underwater Infrastructure DefenseRecent subsea incidents continue to underscore the vulnerability of critical underwater infrastructure (CUI) and the growing need for systematic protection. Repeated disruptions to submarine cables and pipelines in the Baltic Sea, South China Sea, and Red Sea have exposed how contested the seabed has become. In response, NATO announced Operation Baltic Sentry in January, 2025 to enhance vigilance and deterrence in the Baltic Sea. Similarly, in December 2025 the United Kingdom launched Atlantic Bastion, a broad initiative aimed at strengthen
Study: Low Sulfur Fuel Reduces Lightning, May Increase Temperatures
Cuts in sulfur emissions from oceangoing vessels have been tied to a reduction in lightning stroke density along heavily trafficked shipping routes in the Bay of Bengal and the South China Sea, according to new research from the University of Kansas (KU).Previous studies had found frequent lightning along shipping routes over the Bay of Bengal before a 2020 IMO rule capped sulfur in fuel used by oceangoing ships, leading to a roughly 70% drop in sulfate emissions in the Bay of Bengal.“I think there are two reasons for this,” said lead author Qinjian Jin, assistant teaching professor of
Phoenix Assists US Navy with Aircraft Recovery in the South China Sea
Naval Sea System Command (NAVSEA) Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV) with the successful recovery of an MH-60R helicopter and an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter aircraft. The two aircraft went down within 30 minutes of each other during routine flight operations off the USS NIMITZ (CVN-68) in the South China Sea on October 26, 2025. All crew members survived and were rescued.Phoenix personnel traveled to Singapore and mobilized search assets aboard Anchor Handling Tug Supply (AHTS) vessel of opportunity (VOO) and recovery assets aboard Construction Support Vessel (CSV) VOO. Once on site in the South
China’s Ming Yang Unveils Plans for 50MW Ultra-Large Floating Wind Turbine
ever greater Ming Yang strength to a zero-carbon future,” the company said in a statement.To remind, in 2024, Mingyang Smart Energy put into operation what’s said to be the world’s largest single capacity floating wind platform, rated at 16.6 MW, at Qingzhou IV offshore wind farm in South China Sea.Mingyang’s Giant 16.6MW Floating Wind Platform Starts Operating in China (Photos
US Sides with Philippines Against South China Sea Nature Preserve
the U.S. stood with Philippines and rejected what he described as China's "destabilizing plans" involving Scarborough Reef."Beijing claiming Scarborough Reef as a nature preserve is yet another coercive attempt to advance sweeping territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea at the expense of its neighbors," Rubio said in a statement.China's plan to establish a nature reserve in the Scarborough Shoal has raised fear among Filipino fishermen, who fear that it could make it harder for them to operate in the disputed South China Sea atoll, which is under
China Approves to Establish Nature Reserve in South China Sea
China has approved the creation of a national nature reserve at thedisputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, the government said on Wednesday, as Beijing moves to reinforce its territorial claims and maritime rights in the contested region.Scarborough Shoal, which Beijing calls Huangyan Island and which is known in the Philippines as the Panatag Shoal, has long been a flashpoint in the dispute between Beijing and Manila over sovereignty over and fishing access to a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce.The Philippine embassy in Beijing
February 2026
