Britain Warns Shippers of Marine Environmental High Risk Areas

LONDON, UK, February 13, 2006 (ENS) - Thirty-two locations around the coast of Great Britain have been identified as Marine Environmental High Risk Areas (MEHRAs), British Transport Secretary Alistair Darling announced today. The MEHRAs will serve to inform ships' masters where they need to exercise more caution than usual crossing areas of high environmental sensitivity where there is a risk of pollution from merchant shipping.

Now that they have been identified, MEHRAs are to be marked on Admiralty charts as an encouragement to mariners to take extra care in those areas.

Darling said, "The government has looked very carefully at every part of the Scottish coastline and assessed the potential impact of commercial shipping on the local environment. As a result, we have identified 14 locations around the Scottish coastline that should be given MEHRA protection."

One MEHRA is located at Holy Island, historically known as Lindisfarne, which is only an island at high tide. (Photo by Ian Britton courtesy FreeFoto)

"MEHRAs will be an essential aid to passage planning," Darline said. "This is just part of the information available to mariners to enable them to navigate UK waters safely."

MEHRAs were recommended by the late Lord Donaldson in his report on the Braer tanker disaster.

Following the grounding and loss of the 50,000 ton, Liberian registered tanker Braer in storm conditions off the Shetland Islands in January 1993, Lord Donaldson of Lymington was appointed to conduct an Inquiry into what further measures could be taken to protect the UK coastline from pollution from merchant shipping. His report, "Safer Ships, Cleaner Seas," was published in May 1994.

In his report, Lord Donaldson emphasised that MEHRAs should be seen as both an environmental and a shipping concept and that "even the most sensitive areas should only become classified as MEHRAs if there is a realistic risk of pollution from merchant shipping."

The locations of MEHRAs announced were identified after taking into account shipping risk, environmental sensitivity and protective measures already in place at each location.

In Scotland, MEHRAs have been identified at: Muckle Flugga, Fethaland, Tor Ness, North St. Kilda, South St. Kilda, Gallan Head, St. Abb's Head and Eyemouth, Bass Rock, Dunbar, Isle of May, Newburgh, Kinnaird Head and two MEHRAs at West Islay.

Scotland's Highland Council has repeatedly called for increased protection in the Minches’ channel between the Western Isles and the Western Highland shoreline. Led by councillors Michael Foxley and Bill Fulton, the Highland Council wants to remove the Right of Innocent Passage to control and manage shipping in the Minches’ channel.

This would mean that ships would have to seek permission from the Maritime Coastguard Agency before using this route and at the same time be subjected to a number of strict controls, such as being escorted by a pilot boat.

The councillors wish to see a new and extended deep water route established for all tanker traffic further west of the Western Isles.

Warning of increasing shipping coming from Arctic Russia and transiting Scottish coastal waters, Councilor Foxley said, "Accidents at sea are happening too frequently and more government action is needed. We must work protect our coastline. We need to work with our European partners to agree an international code for controlling and managing the movement of vessels carrying hazardous cargos."

Speaking about the Minches, Transport Secretary Darling said, "Traffic surveys of the Minches and the waters to the west of the Hebrides were carried out, and on the basis of these surveys, we are going to propose new protective routing measures for the Minches to the International Maritime Organization in July."

The Shiants (pronounced Shants) are a small group of islands in the Hebrides, in northwest Scotland. (Photo courtesy Kilda Cruises)

The British government will propose to the IMO the introduction of a new traffic separation plan off Neist Point. In addition, the government will propose upgrading existing recommended tracks to status as IMO adopted routes through the narrows south of the Shiant Islands.

It is worth noting, said Darling, that "the Minches already benefit from improved vessel traffic monitoring because of the increased number of ships carrying Automatic Identification Systems, and that this too has the effect of enhancing safety of navigation and providing additional protection for the waters and the coasts of the Minches."

The 18 MEHRAs in locations outside of Scotland are: Islandmagee, County Antrim, Pembrokeshire Islands, Plymouth, Berry Head, Portland, Western Solent, Hastings, Dungeness, South Foreland to Ramsgate (2 MEHRAs), Harwich & Felixstowe (2 MEHRAs), Spurn Bight, Flamborough Head, Tees, Farne Islands, Holy Island, Berwick.

The MEHRAs will now be notified by a Marine Guidance Note to mariners and they will also be marked on Admiralty charts.

The MEHRAs report is published at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_shipping/documents/divisionhomepage/032184.hcsp