World News
Singapore Sized Iceberg "Could Threaten Shipping"
An iceberg roughly the size of Singapore has broken off from the Antarctica continent, according to information from NASA, and experts have warned it could pose a threat to shipping.
NASA said the 700 sq km iceberg was first seen breaking off from Pine Island Glacier in October 2011, and it is believed the physical separation took place on or about July 10, 2013.
A team of UK scientists from Sheffield and Southampton universities have been awarded a £50,000 ($80,000) grant to track the iceberg and predict its movement through the Southern Ocean over the coming year.
"From the time it had been found that the crack had gone all the way across in July, it had stayed iced-in because it was still winter (in Antarctica)," principal investigator Grant Bigg told the BBC.
"But in the last couple of days, it has begun to break away and now a kilometre or two of clear water has developed between it and the glacier.
"It often takes a while for bergs from this area to get out of Pine Island Bay but once they do that they can either go eastwards along the coast or they can… circle out into the main part of the Southern Ocean."
Prof Bigg said that icebergs have previously been tracked going through The Drake Passage, and if this iceberg followed such a trajectory then it would enter into international shipping lanes.
Key Bunker Prices More
| VLSFO | MGO | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $/mt | +/- | $/mt | +/- | |
| Singapore | 504.50 | 2.50 | 620.00 | 3.00 |
| Rotterdam | 456.00 | 1.50 | 621.50 | 2.00 |
| Houston | 476.00 | 7.00 | 624.00 | 1.00 |
| Fujairah | 496.50 | 2.00 | 713.00 | 2.50 |
| Global 20 Ports Average | 526.50 | 0.50 | 712.00 | 0.50 |
| Global 4 Ports Average | 483.00 | 2.00 | 644.50 | 0.50 |
| Global Average Bunker Price | 570.50 | 1.50 | 751.00 | 1.00 |
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