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Marine Environmental High Risk Areas Revealed

01 Mar 2006

In a Written Statement to Parliament last month, the British Government's Transport Secretary, Alistair Darling MP, unveiled 32 locations around the UK coast that have been identified as Marine Environmental High Risk Areas (MEHRAs). The primary purpose of the MEHRAs will be to inform mariners of areas of high environmental sensitivity where there is a real risk of pollution from shipping.

The introduction and status of MEHRAs come 12 years after recommendations made by the late Lord Donaldson in his report 'Safer Ships, Cleaner Seas' following the Braer tanker disaster off the Shetland Islands in January 1993. He said that their primary purpose was 'to inform (ships') Masters of areas where there is a real prospect of a problem arising'.

The locations of MEHRAs have been identified after taking into account shipping risk, environmental sensitivity and other environmental protection measures already in place at each location. Their announcement prompted anger from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the World Wildlife Fund, and the Marine Conservation Society, who argued that areas containing rare and vulnerable wildlife had been omitted.

Alistair Darling said, 'MEHRAs will be an essential aid to passage planning since their primary purpose is to inform ships'Masters of areas where they need to exercise even more caution than usual. This is just part of the information available to mariners to enable them to navigate UK waters safely.'

MEHRAs will now be notified by a Marine Guidance Note to mariners who will be expected to exercise an even higher degree of care than usual when passing through them. They will also be marked on Admiralty charts.

MJ Information No: 21637

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