Saddam Hussein’s superyacht becomes marine research vessel

Saddam Hussein’s 82 metre superyacht Basrah Breeze is now being used by Iraqi marine researchers from the University of Basrah’s Marine Science Center. The scientists are using the yacht to explore the changing Persian Gulf. Built in 1981 by Danish shipyard Helsingor Vaerft for then president of Iraq Saddam Hussein, the luxury yacht was originally called the Qadissiyat Saddam. It cost $25 million to build but the yachts current captain, Hussein Ghazi Khalifa, said it would now it would cost four times that. The Basrah Breeze is not the first luxury yacht to be used for a different purpose and there is an increasing demand for expedition yachts among superyacht owners. With ocean conservation becoming more of a talking point, Fleet Miami have even offered the chance for guests to take part in a scientific learning experience while on charter.

via https://www.boatinternational.com/yachts/news/saddam-husseins-82m-yacht-basrah-breeze-becomes-marine-research-vessel–28971

The speed and scale of China’s island-building spree have alarmed other countries with interests in the region. China announced in June that the creation of islands — moving sediment from the seafloor to a reef — would soon be completed. “The announcement marks a change in diplomatic tone, and indicates that China has reached its scheduled completion on several land reclamation projects and is now moving into the construction phase,” said Mira Rapp-Hooper, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington research group. So far China has built port facilities, military buildings and an airstrip on the islands. The installations bolster China’s foothold in the Spratly Islands, a disputed scattering of reefs and islands in the South China Sea more than 500 miles from the Chinese mainland.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/07/30/world/asia/what-china-has-been-building-in-the-south-china-sea.html?_r=0