Together with scientists from Germany, Italy and Chile, they will use non-toxic iron sulphate to ‘fertilise’ a 1000-sq-km are of the Scotia Sea, off the Southern Antarctic Peninsula to experiment this mitigation measure. The success of which, will not only benefit the environment but also put India in the vanguard of international oceanographic research.

The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reported that pirate attacks have increased sharply worldwide in the past three months, especially in Nigeria and Somalia. According to the IMB, 85 piracy attacks have been reported throughout the world between April and June. That is double the number of incidents reported in the preceding three months.

Even the Malacca Strait, which, was commended in the first half of 2007 for its tremendous improvement in water safety has seen a significant increase in piracy. In fact, pirates have reportedly begun attacking oil tankers during crucial cargo operations, which raises the risk of loss of lives and pollution.

However, despite the recent surge in piracy, the overall number of attacks in the first six months of 2007 is in line with the number of attacks in the same period last year (126 in 2007, versus 127 in 2006). Coastal countries in piracy hotspots have reportedly been urged by the IMB to add more rigour to their efforts in ensuring water safety.