As wildfires leave a trail of destruction in southern California, claiming lives and gutting cherished homes, amphibious aircraft from Canada, known as Super Scoopers, have come to the rescue. Specifically designed for dousing forest fires, the CL-415 aircraft can scoop water, mix it with foam if needed and then spray it on the blaze.

NEW: FBI has launched an investigation to find the drone operator who put a 3×6 hole in Canada’s Super Scooper aircraft which was fighting the LA fires.

The plane was initially grounded but thankfully, two more Super Scoopers are on the way, according to The War Zone.

“I’d just… pic.twitter.com/drKsj6r4da

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 13, 2025

Super Scoopers vs Air Tankers

A report in The Washington Post explained how Super Scoopers are a more effective firefighting solution than helicopters equipped with buckets and air tankers. These aircraft can collect 1,600 gallons of water in one go, much more than helicopters using buckets to douse fires. Also, unlike air tankers, Super Scoopers don’t need to land to collect water. They can skim the surface of any nearby water body at speeds in the 160 kmph range, replenish water reserves and resume their firefight.

How Does Super Scooper Work?

Super Scooper has a wingspan of 93 feet and a length of 65 feet. It has a system through which water can be mixed with a foam concentrate for more effective firefight. When it needs to fill its water tank, the pilot flies the aircraft to skim a water body’s surface. Water is scooped into the tank through a probe and it takes around 12 seconds for the tank to be full. Alternatively, a Super Scooper water tank can be filled up using hoses. Once full, the aircraft can fly to the affected area at speeds up to 350 km per hour. The pilot can unload water in one go or use four doors sequentially to pour water over a wider area, the Post report says.

SuperScooper grounded after drone strike pic.twitter.com/a7ApxeNHm1

— L.A. County Fire Department (@LACoFDPIO) January 10, 2025

Super Scoopers Fight US Wildfires

The County Fire Department in Los Angeles has loaned two Super Scoopers from the Quebec government on a 30-year lease. Of these, only one is currently operational after one collided with an illegal drone during a firefight operation. The impact, an AFP report said, left a “fist-sized” in the aircraft. The pilots were unaware of the collision and landed safely, Los Angeles Country Fire Chief Anthony Marrone told reporters. The aircraft was grounded and may return to work after repairs. SOPFEU, the Canadian nonprofit that provides the Super Scoopers in collaboration with Quebec government, has said it would provide two additional CL-415s to Los Angeles, the Post has reported.

At least 24 people have died, over 12,000 structures destroyed and over a lakh people displaced due to the wildfires. Among those affected are some top Hollywood celebrities. The economic loss is estimated around 150 billion dollars.
 

Chinese and Indian refiners are scouring the globe for supplies of crude as fresh US sanctions on Russian producers and tankers curb shipments to Moscow’s top customers, traders said.

The US Treasury on Friday imposed sanctions on Russian oil producers Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas, as well as 183 vessels that have shipped Russian oil, as it targets the revenues Moscow has used to fund its war with Ukraine.

Many of the tankers have been used to ship oil to India and China as Western sanctions and a price cap imposed by the Group of Seven countries in 2022 shifted trade in Russian oil from Europe to Asia. Some tankers have also shipped oil from Iran, which is also under sanctions.

On Monday, China reiterated its opposition to unilateral US sanctions.

The measures have disrupted the trade in sanctioned oil, pushing Chinese and Indian refiners back to sellers of non-sanctioned oil, tightening supply and driving up spot premiums for crude produced in the Middle East to Africa and Brazil, traders said.

Over the weekend, new Chinese refiner Yulong Petrochemical bought 4 million barrels of Abu Dhabi’s Upper Zakum crude loading in February and March from Totsa, the trading arm of French energy major TotalEnergies, traders said.

The cargoes are for its 400,000 barrel per day refining complex in Yantai, eastern Shandong province, which started trial runs in September.

Yulong, which has previously bought Russian ESPO Blend crude, has purchased Angolan and Brazilian crude in recent weeks, traders said, and is now in talks to buy more oil from West Africa as well as Canada.

The refiner purchased 2 million barrels of Angolan Girassol and Nemba crude and also 2 million barrels of Brazilian Buzios and Tupi crude, they said.

The sources declined to be named as they were not authorised to speak to media. Yulong and Totsa typically do not comment on commercial deals.

Indian refiners which bought spot Middle East crude last week before the sanctions were announced, are still looking for more cargoes, more traders said.

India’s Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd bought 2 million barrels of February-loading Oman crude from Totsa via a tender last week, two people familiar with the matter said.

The strength of the demand is helping Totsa offload an overhang of Middle East crude supplies after it amassed cargoes via S&P Global Platts’ trading platform in the past four months, traders said.

Global Brent crude futures rose above $81 a barrel to their highest since August during Monday’s trade. 

Spot premiums for Middle East benchmark grades jumped more than 70% to about $3 a barrel on Monday, traders said, reaching their highest since October 2023. 

The premiums for sweet grades have also risen, with Brazilian crude for March delivery transacting at premiums of more than $3 a barrel to dated Brent last week, up about $2 from levels seen in early December, one of the traders said.

“The biggest disruptions will be on shipping,” a trading executive involved in the Russian oil business said, adding that complications could arise if a ship is owned or managed by companies that are involved in operations of sanctioned tankers.

The market is likely to see a growing number of middlemen marketing oil from sanctioned producers, Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegaz, while there will be more payments in Chinese yuan via China’s Cross-border Interbank Payment System (CIPS), the executive said.

Also included on Friday’s sanction document were two Chinese oil logistics firms — Shandong United Energy Pipeline Transportation Co Ltd and Guangrao Lianhe Energy Pipeline Conveyor Co — both based in eastern China’s Shandong province, a refining hub and China’s top destination for sanctioned oil.

As these companies mostly transport oil from storage tanks to domestic refiners with payments in Chinese yuan, there would be little impact from the sanctions, the trading executive added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

A seven-ring security plan has been implemented for the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, anticipating four crore devotees. Enhanced security measures include AI-driven surveillance, 2,751 CCTV cameras, anti-drone systems, and 40,000 personnel to ensure safety. A dedicated police team monitors the event, with 57 temporary stations and 20 hi-tech drones deployed.