[META] Data is based on 2019 data, but increased a little as we improved infrastructure.
In 2028, there were 42 full transits of the Canadian Northwest Passage. There were 6 commercial ships, 6 passenger ships, 6 Canadian government ships, and 24 private yachts. There were additional partial transits, but they did not sail through the most ecologically sensitive areas and therefore are not included in the tally. They received icebreaker and search/rescue support from the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Coast Guard. Now that the Arctic is affected by climate change, the Canadian government will seek to reduce ecological damage to the region by limiting transits.
First, we will be stopping all private yachts from transiting the passage effective immediately. There is precedent for this, as during the COVID-19 pandemic we prohibited pleasure craft from transiting the passage and took appropriate enforcement action. This is expected to be supported politically, as the yachts are mainly from outside of Canada and there are numerous environmental concerns about yachts.
Next, we are setting quotas on the number of commercial and passenger ships transiting through the Canadian Northwest Passage starting from 2030. There will be a limit of 4 passenger ships and 16 commercial ships passing through the passage a year, with the slots going to the highest bidder. The ships will still receive icebreaker and logistics support as usual, but are required to take greater measures for environmental protection. A study will be conducted on the environmental impacts of the previous year every year to determine the quotas of the next year. If additional ships attempt to transit the passage without notice, they are to be turned away politely but firmly, with the crew being detained if they still attempt to transit.
Finally, the Canadian government will work with scientists and biologists to research environmental impacts of its own ships on wildlife and how to reduce them. Ships from foreign governments may only pass through the Canadian Northwest Passage now with explicit permission from the Canadian government. Submarines are also covered under the measures in this post.
After our initial efforts, further research studies by Canadian scientists have concluded that reducing the amount of ships passing through the Arctic will reduce the effects of climate change, slowing a potential future “blue ocean event”. Hence, we are amending our plan to limit transits through the Canadian Northwest Passage. There will be a maximum of 20 transits every year starting 2030 of ships and submarines (excluding Canadian government and allied nations’ ships which have been granted permission). The spots will still go to the highest bidder, and the ships will be required to take greater efforts to protect the environment.
On Time Passages, it only shows your secondary progressions with your natal chart in a Bi-Wheel when you pay the $.99. Do I have to pay for the $30 version of the app to see my secondary progressions with my natal chart and the current transits as a Tri-Wheel? Or just to see my secondary progressions and the current transits? Is there a different app that allows this easier or without the cost? Thanks!
> For Ukraine, Russia’s claim to sovereignty over Crimea comes with an asserted right to control Ukraine’s access to and use of the Sea of Azov. This includes a potential Russian stranglehold over the port of Mariupol, from which flows steel and iron constituting 40 percent of Ukraine’s annual export revenue and a large portion of its grain exports. Additionally, the livelihood of 10,000 fishermen is at stake. Moscow, on the other hand, rather like China in the South China Sea, appears determined to turn the Sea of Azov into a strategic internal rampart, and the Kerch Strait—with a new $7.5 billion bridge over it—constitutes the linchpin of this plan.
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> Over much of 2018 the Russians have grown more aggressive in asserting control over the flow of traffic through the Strait, and the Ukrainians more determined to assert their right of free passage based on the 2003 Russian-Ukrainian Treaty on the Use of the Sea of Azov and Kerch Strait. Such was the claim of the Ukrainian naval commander last Sunday when told to turn back. The Russians countered by insisting that under Article 25 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) they have a right to temporarily suspend “innocent passage” of foreign ships “if such suspension is essential for the protection of [their country’s] security.”
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> Both claims are rather beside the point. No matter what the status of the 2003 agreement or the force of Russia’s asserted sovereignty over the Kerch Strait, under the UNCLOS, Ukraine has the right of “transit passage” including its warships, in peace and war. Russia’s closing the Strait on security grounds under Article 25 of UNCLOS and then its use of lethal force, even after firing a warning shot and barely justified under Article 30 of the Convention, underscore how little international law matters to the peril now taking dangerous form.
https://nationalinterest.org/feature/nightmare-how-war-ukraine-could-go-regional-37557
[M: Not a declaration of war. Also, will be back from vacation late tomorrow night, so will be confined to mobile until then.]
In order to oppose Canada's denial of the right of transit for military assets in the Northwest Strait, a direct violation of international law, a small force of littoral capable vessels will be tasked to remain in the Northwest Passage and escort merchant shipping.
A group, called BLUEFOR North, consisting of two Independence Class vessels (outfitted for littoral operations), five Cyclone II Class Heavy Patrol Boats, and a to be determined amount of Indian vessels. They are to remain in the Northwest Passage, escorting merchant ships. They are not to submit to any checks or stoppings, nor is any merchant ship to cooperate with Canadian authorities unlawfully imposing regulation on international commerce.
The main fleets are to remain in the open ocean so as to not journey into unfavorable geography in case of engagement. They will be joined by all other Fleets to form the Combined Fleet, led by 3 Aircraft Carriers and 3 Battleships. They are to remain in range of air support from Washington, so as to be able to access greater support.
All Cascadian military units are now at Defensive Readiness Condition 2 (DEFCON 2).
