Industry news
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: ICES Annual Science Conference 19- 23 September 2016, Riga, Latvia
The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) is seeking submissions for abstracts for their Annual Science Conference 2016. Of specific interest to members of the European Marine Sand and Gravel Group is the session ‘Make marine sediment extraction sustainable by mitigation of related processes with potential negative impacts’
Conveners of this session are: Ad Stolk, Keith Cooper, Michel Desprez
They are seeking proposals for 15-20 presentations (15 min, incl. discussion), posters + pitch. The deadline for submitting of abstracts is 30 April 2016.
For more information please visit the
conference website, or contact
[email protected]
The Crown Estate Marine Aggregate Capability and Portfolio 2015 released
The Crown Estate owns most of the UK’s seabed, and is responsible for managing it effectively and sustainably, balancing different interests and delivering the best value over the long term. This annual report breaks down aggregate production across the seven UK dredging regions that marine aggregate is sourced from, mapping out where dredging licences are held and key facts for each region such as where material extraction is delivered to and how many tonnes can be extracted. The Capability & Portfolio 2015 report outlines the significant demand and range of uses for marine aggregates in the UK.
The report is freely available on the
Crown Estate website.
‘Sand, rarer than one thinks’ UNEP report
United Nations Environment Programme Report released examining global aggregate use and the impact of aggregate extraction on rivers, deltas and coastal and marine ecosystems. The report outlines current trends in aggregate supply, the continued shift to marine aggregate sources at a global level, and the subsequent impacts this is having both economically and environmentally around the world. The report highlights serious concerns in the future supply of aggregate, and the need to introduce regulation around it’s extraction in developing countries to minimise environmental impacts and safe guard economic future. Sand and gravel is the most highly used natural raw material in the world, after water, and this timely report aims to raise this issue to a global political agenda and calls for the development of an international framework to address supply, demand, monitoring and impacts.
The report is freely available on the
UNEP website.
Managing energy on marine vessels
Innovate UK has announced investment of up to £7.5m in collaborative R&D projects to improve the ways in which energy is managed on ships and other marine and maritime vessels. Registration closes on 4 March 2015.
Click here for more information
Marine aggregates – Capability and Portfolio 2014
The Crown Estate has launched the Marine aggregates – Capability and Portfolio 2014 report, which provides an overview of the industry.
Click here to access the publication
UK marine aggregate industry best practice - new report published
The British Marine Aggregate Producers Association (BMAPA) and The Crown Estate jointly hosted a Marine Aggregate Industry Best Practice Seminar on Tuesday 10th December 2013 at the Royal Academy for Engineering, London to launch a significant new report which provides an overview of recent research and current marine aggregate industry practice. This follows the £25m investment in applied research delivered through the marine programme of the Aggregate Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF) between 2002 and 2011.
The new report was commissioned by BMAPA and The Crown Estate to provide a synopsis of this investment, showcasing what has been achieved in order to provide a bookend to the completion of a hugely successful programme that was built on partnership between the public and private sectors.
Click here to access the publication.
New best practice guide for undertaking coastal impact studies
The British Marine Aggregate Producers Association (BMAPA) and The Crown Estate, in consultation with the Marine Management Organisation, Natural Resources Wales, Natural England, JNCC, the Environment Agency, English Heritage, Cefas, HR Wallingford and ABPmer, provide best practice guidelines on carrying out a Coastal Impact Study (CIS) as part of an application to dredge marine aggregates from the seabed around the English and Welsh coasts.
Click here to access the publication.
Marine research report launched
Sabellaria spinulosa Reef Ecology and Ecosystem Services is a research report to help develop a better understanding of reef ecology showing the effects on species diversity and abundances as a result of habitat diversification. It makes ecological comparisons between different sizes and patchiness of reefs and even considers functionality of ‘live’ and ‘dead’ reefs. It is also interesting to note some of the generally unseen services that the reefs may bring to local areas of seabed and food webs.
Click here to access the report.
Four year PDH research project
In the framework of the Belgian Science Policy (Brain-be) project TILES (Transnational and Integrated Long-term marine Exploitation Strategies), a PhD research will be funded on the development of a 3D geological voxel model of the subsurface of the North Sea (Belgian and southern Dutch Sector).
Start date is January or February 2014, for a duration of four years.
Official workplace is Ghent University, Renard Centre of Marine Geology at the Department of Geology and Soil Science. The research is carried out in close collaboration with TNO (Utrecht, The Netherlands) and the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS), coordinator of the project.
IADC publishes Dredging in Figures 2012
Issued in October 2013 the International Association of Dredging Companies have published an annual statistical review of the global dredging market over 2012. Thorough data and charts collected from high-level international sources as well as from its own member companies, the IADC tries to answer questions about and give insight into the major contribution of the industry to the world economy.
To download the document click here.
Port of Rotterdam Authority to develop new Brazilian port
On 9 April, the Port of Rotterdam Authority, the state of Espirito Santo, the municipality of Presidente Kennedy and project developer Terminal Presidente Kennedy (TPK) signed an agreement in Vitória, Brazil for the development of Porto Central, a new port in Brazil. The so-called ‘greenfield port’ still has to be built and will be located in the extreme south of Espirito Santo state, to the north of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. It will be an industrial port on deep sea water for handling oil, gas, offshore services, dry bulk and general cargo.