A new and rather novel hazard has arisen on our beaches, discovered when an off duty explosives expert walked by a man exercising his dog by Lower Marine Parade on the beach at Dovercourt (near Harwich) throwing for his retrieval what at first appeared to be a miniature Rugby football. On closer inspection, it was […]
» Marine Aggregate Dredging
- New Dredging Beach Hazard
- Even more East Coast Dredging threatened!
- Dredging off the East Coast continues
- SMP Economic Impact
- Coral reefs in the Caribbean could disappear within 20 years without protection
- Concern over the protection of the Great Barrier Reef from “port dredging”
- More Dredging – more erosion!
- Serious concerns expressed about adverse impact on Whitsand Bay, Cornwall, from MoD dredging
- Even more Marine Aggregate Dredging!
- Navigational Dredging Licensing
- Underwater gold rush sparks fears of ocean catastrophe
- Crown Estate Dredging Statistics 1998-2007
- Impact of the North Sea Surge on the East Anglian Coast
- Dredging equations
- Australian government approves new port dredging near Great Barrier Reef
- Major North Sea Surge impacts Hemsby
- Further objection to MMO licensing further dredging off Great Yarmouth
- Dredging Impact on Fish Stocks
- MMO considering aggregate applications to extract over 108 million tonnes from the seabed off Great Yarmouth
- New licensing requirements for dredging
Hot on the heels of issuing a licence for further dredging off the East Coast, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) have just advised MARINET of a further application, this time for Lafarge Tarmac Marine to take 7,500,000 of sand and shingle from Area 296 and a further 7,500,000 from Area 494 over the next 15 […]
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Despite the many of us who objected to issuing a licence to dredge Area 228, a 2.5 x 2 mile block of sea bed situated between five and seven miles offshore to Hopton in Suffolk, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) have given their consent to further plunder our offshore sea for sand and gravel. This […]
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The Save Hemsby Coastline group are thinking of making the National Audit Office aware of the economic wastage being created by the very unfair and unrealistic dictates of the Shoreline Management plan, especially now that they have recently changed the goalposts so that the value of that protected now has to be eight times the […]
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The Guardian reports, 2nd July 2014: “A comprehensive analysis by 90 experts of more than 35,000 surveys conducted at nearly 100 Caribbean locations since 1970 shows that the region’s corals have declined by more than 50%. But restoring key fish populations and improving protection from overfishing and pollution could help the reefs recover and make […]
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The Guardian reports, 11th July 2014: “The amount of money needed to “offset” the impact of a dredging project on the Great Barrier Reef could be as much as $1bn — which is $998m more than the project developer has suggested. Documents obtained under freedom of information reveal huge uncertainty over the investment needed to […]
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Hanson Aggregates have been granted approval by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and their Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA’s) to dredge and remove a further total of 73,050,000 tonnes (ca. forty-five and a half Million cubic metres) of aggregate from the offshore seabed in Areas 401/2, 242, 361A-C, 328A, 212, 240 and 328B and C laying […]
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BBC News reports, 7th April 2014: “Environmental campaigners are calling for immediate action to protect coral found off the coast near Plymouth. They say thousands of tonnes of silt dredged from Devonport Dockyard is at risk of overwhelming rare pink sea-fans in Whitsand Bay. Silt dredged from the River Tamar to clear channels for warships […]
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Despite the numerous protests made by Great Yarmouth Borough Council, the Parish Councils, MP Brandon Lewis, MARINET and the many individuals who responded opposing the application MLA/2013/00417 that was placed on Friday 1st. November 2013, seeking a licence to permit Volker Dredging to remove a further 22,500,000 tonnes of aggregate over the next 15 years […]
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The latest ‘Fishing Focus’ published by DEFRA and the Marine Management Organisation (which can be read in full here) comments on the new licensing requirements for dredging emanating from the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009, which (other than very small scale maintenance dredging) has now made licensing of navigational dredging a legal requirement from […]
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From The Guardian, 2nd March 2014: This is the last frontier: the ocean floor, 4,000 metres beneath the waters of the central Pacific, where mining companies are now exploring for the rich deposits of ores needed to keep industry humming and smartphones switched on. The prospect of a race to the bottom of the ocean […]
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The Crown Estate have released their official marine dredging statistics covering the nineteen years 1998-2007. Area Licensed: The area of seabed licensed decreased by a net 387.09km2, with the greatest reductions occurring within 12 nautical miles of the coast. 749.84km2 of licensed area was surrendered. 362.44km2 of new area was licensed, the majority of which […]
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The devastating North Sea Surge along the Norfolk and Suffolk coast in December wrought serious damage to many homes by wave overtopping, breaches to those sea defences that were present and underminement of the ground that residences stood on where there were only naturally formed marram dunes. Five bungalows were undermined and destroyed at Hemsby, […]
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In a quest to find some realistic and meaningful comparisons for the 230,000,000 tonnes ( 143 Million cubic metres ) of aggregates so far dredged offshore to Great Yarmouth alone, here are what are some rather surprising facts that came forth from members of our local coastal group:- The volume dug out to create the […]
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The Guardian reports, 10th December 2013: “The Australian environment minister, Greg Hunt, has approved controversial dredging off the Queensland coast that will help create one of the world’s largest coal ports, while imposing some of the “strictest conditions in Australian history” to safeguard the health of the Great Barrier Reef. Hunt said he would allow […]
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The biggest North Sea surge since 1953 hit the East Anglian Coastline overnight on 5th December, resulting in flooding, loss of habitation and much damage to the homes at Hemsby Marrams, when the high tide brought in waves to further erode the dune foundations they were built on. A deep barometric low off eastern Scotland […]
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Rather an elongated communication, but felt to be necessary to spell out the details so as to fully cover our concerns and to contain sections that could be used by others objecting to this latest application. ======================================== Friday 15th November 2013 Dear Monika Van Wyk, I write as founder chairman of MARINET, also as an […]
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Ray Drabble has just had the following news article published in Marine Pollution Bulletin. His efforts to get this on the agenda for Coastal Futures sadly failed. Similarly MMO and CEFAS have been very dismissive about considering fresh evidence that challenges their stated position. ============================================ Strategic Scoping Report and dredging effects The U.K. Marine Management […]
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Currently this year there are already three new marine aggregate dredging licence applications for sites offshore from Great Yarmouth, the applicant in each case being Hanson Aggregates Ltd (MLA/2013/00119, MLA/2013/00306, MLA/2013/00338), all these viewable on the Marine Management Organisation website. These three applications alone wish to extract up a total of 86 million tonnes (ca. […]
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The latest ‘Fishing Focus’ can be read from www.gov.uk/government/publications/fishing-focus-issue-31-autumn-2013 Judged not on merits but on expediency Those who work from ports and harbours requiring dredging are being encouraged to read new guidance produced by the MMO. This covers regulatory changes which may affect people carrying out dredging from April 2014. Under the Marine and Coastal […]
