Sorry, this entry is only available in Français and Nederlands.
(Français) Consultation publique ‘stratégie pour les eaux marines belges’
Successful completion of Belgium’s international ECA border 2024 mission
The Institute of Natural Sciences, through its Management Unit of the Mathematical Model of the North Sea (MUMM), has successfully completed its ECA 2024 Border Campaign. The campaign was conducted from July 29 to August 2, 2024. This critical aerial mission aimed to monitor compliance with Annex VI of the MARPOL Convention, focusing on atmospheric pollution from ships in the Emission Control Area (ECA) along the southern border of the North Sea and in the English Channel.
During 10 flights lasting a total of over 21 hours, spread over five days, the SURV team conducted a total of 198 ship emission measurements on board the Belgian coastguard aircraft OO-MMM, equipped with an advanced airborne sniffer sensor. These measurements, focused on sulfur oxides (SOx) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), resulted in the identification of 17 potential violations of MARPOL Annex VI regulations, which were reported to the relevant authorities for further inspection. The 17 reports concerned 15 different ships (two ships were reported twice) and related to 12 FSC (Fuel Sulphur Content) alerts and three NOx alerts. Notably, seven of the reported vessels were inspected at their next port of call, demonstrating the functional link between OO-MMM and the port state inspection services of EU countries (+ Norway and Iceland) in the maritime enforcement chain, and thus confirming the role of the Belgian coastguard aircraft as a preliminary warning system.
This mission, executed in line with Belgium’s commitments under the Bonn Agreement, highlights the ongoing regional interest and effort to monitor and reduce maritime pollution in the North Sea region. Recommendations have been made to improve future campaigns, emphasizing better coordination with France and the United Kingdom and the inclusion of NOx pollutants in Thetis-EU, an EU platform developed by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) to record and exchange information on the results of individual compliance verifications carried out by Member States competent authorities under the Sulphur Directive.
ARTE documentary ‘Offshore wind farms, can they coexist with nature?’
Not only on land but also at sea, wind farms are becoming an increasingly important part of our gradual transition to renewable energy. On the other hand, generating wind energy at sea, like all human activities, also has consequences for the marine environment and the organisms that live there. However, at the start of the construction of the first offshore wind farms, there was little knowledge about this…
What effects do wind farms have on biodiversity in and on the seabed, in the water column and even above the water surface? Can we limit aspects of negative impact and promote positive aspects, and how? Can multiple use of space at sea (such as a combination of offshore wind farms with, for example, solar energy generation, oyster farming and also nature restoration) contribute to keeping our growing human claim on marine space within limits?
In the documentary ‘Offshore wind farms, can they coexist with nature?’ ARTE examines these questions and shows how the scientific monitoring is carried out.
In Belgium, the research and monitoring programme WinMon.BE has been investigating the ecological consequences of offshore wind farms for 15 years, right from the start of the installation of the first turbines. WinMon.BE is coordinated by the Institute of Natural Sciences and carried out in collaboration with various partners, and inspires similar programmes worldwide. Our scientists and the research vessel RV Belgica are therefore prominently featured in the ARTE documentary.
While challenges remain (such as limiting the impact on seabirds and migratory birds) and new challenges are expected (such as reducing underwater noise when larger offshore wind turbines are built in the future), the documentary makes it clear that the story of the ecological impact of offshore wind farms will never be a black and white story. We need to balance our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (to halt global warming) against the undesirable consequences these efforts may have on certain species or ecosystems. The positive insights generated by monitoring the ecological impact of offshore wind farms should be further used to better ‘build with nature’ in the future, where nature development is integrated into human projects at sea as much as possible from the design phase.
Watch the 52-minute documentary here: https://www.arte.tv/en/videos/108979-000-A/offshore-wind-farms/
Sit back, relax and learn!
(Français) Suivi du processus des parties prenantes Formation de la Vision de l’Aquaculture
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Spat collectors boost European flat oyster research in the ULTFARMS project
To study settlement patterns and preferences of the European flat oyster, custom-made oyster spat collectors were installed in the Belgian part of the North Sea in early June 2024. Reconciling commercial oyster cultivation with oyster restoration activities is the ultimate goal.
In early June 2024, the Institute of Natural Sciences and the Laboratory of Aquaculture and Artemia Reference Center at Ghent University have successfully deployed custom-made oyster spat collectors in a field experiment at the offshore windfarm Belwind, located 46 km off the coast of Ostend in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Additionally, one mini-tripod, equipped with a gabion holding mature European flat oysters (Ostrea edulis) was deployed near the spat collectors.
The installations were carried out with the research vessel Belgica as part of the Horizon Europe funded ULTFARMS project and supported by the activities of the Institute of Natural Sciences within the European Marine Biological Resource Centre Belgium (EMBRC Belgium).
Goals
The experiment aims to advance our understanding of the settlement patterns of European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis) larvae in the Belgian Part of the North Sea. It also seeks to explore the effect of habitat complexity on settlement preferences, with the ultimate goal of reconciling commercial oyster cultivation with oyster restoration activities.
By studying the settlement patterns of O. edulis, more effective conservation strategies can be created, potentially boosting oyster populations in the Belgian Part of the North Sea. After summer, the plates will be retrieved and analysed in the laboratory to evaluate oyster settlement rates and patterns. This information will provide new insights into how habitat complexity affects the settlement of European flat oysters, aiding future restoration efforts of this highly emblematic species and ecosystem engineer.
3D printing
Using state-of-the-art 3D printing technology and standardised clay plates, the spat collectors with varying levels of structural complexity were produced specifically to address ULTFARMS’ research questions.
The spat collectors are part of the Artificial Hard Substrate Garden, an offshore marine experimental facility, managed and provided by the Institute of Natural Sciences as a service of EMBRC Belgium to both the scientific community and the industry.
For further details, please visit the MARECO website or contact Wannes De Clercq (wdeclercq@naturalsciences.be).
Public consultation ‘Telecommunication cable between the UK and Belgium’
EXA Infrastructure Begium has submitted an application for the authorization for the laying and an environmental permit for the exploitation of a telecommunication cable between Broadstairs – Joss Bay in the south east of England and Ostend. This application is subject to an environmental impact assessment procedure.
The application, the environmental impact statement and its annexes (concept of the appropriate assessment, non-technical summary and the report describing the effects on fisheries) can be consulted from 22 July to 28 August 2024 at the offices of MUMM at Brussels (Vautierstraat 29, 1000 Brussels; bmm@naturalsciences.be; tel 02/627 43 52) or at Ostend (3de en 23ste Linieregimentsplein, 8400 Ostend; bmm@naturalsciences.be; tel. 059/24 20 55), by appointment only and during office hours between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm. The application can also be consulted at every coastal community, during office hours.
The application is also available electronically:
- Application
1. RA23316_Vergunningsaanvraag_v3.0
- Environmental impact statement and annexes
2. RA23353_MER Q&E North_Niet technische samenvatting_v2.0
4. Externe bijlage 1_RA23288 OntwerpPB Q&E North_3.0
5. Externe bijlage 2_ILVO visserij-effectenrapport Q&E North
6. Externe bijlage 3_RA23344_Q&E North – Afvalbeheerplan_v3.0
Any interested party may submit its views, comments and objections to MUMM by letter or email until 12 September 2024:
MUMM
Vautierstraat 29
1000 Brussels
bmm@naturalsciences.be
Successful participation in CINDI-3 measurement campaign
The Institute of Natural Sciences and the Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB) recently participated in the third “Cabauw Intercomparison of UV-Vis DOAS Instruments” (CINDI-3). This campaign took place in May-June 2024 and was organized by the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) at the Cabauw observatory, located between Rotterdam and Utrecht. More than 100 persons from 16 countries, with 44 instruments, were involved in the international measurement campaign, the largest of its kind in the world.
The main purpose of CINDI-3 is to test and compare different MAX-DOAS (Multi-Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy) instruments that measure air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3). These instruments use a technique that analyses the spectrum of scattered sunlight to determine the presence and concentration of various gases in the atmosphere.
As part of the Belgian contribution, the aerial surveillance aircraft of the Institute of Natural Sciences was equipped with various measuring instruments in the weeks before the exercise (including the BIRA SWING imaging DOAS system), while BIRA also supplied NO2 and O3 in-situ measuring equipment. Together with other measuring devices near the KNMI measuring mast in Cabauw, and operated on cars and bicycles, a complete picture of the distribution of pollutants in the industrial and urban areas around Rotterdam could be compiled. The NO2 distribution over Antwerp was also mapped from the aircraft as part of the same campaign.
All flights were carried out in synchronisation with the Copernicus Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite that carries the ESA TROPOMI instrument (Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument). This instrument maps various air quality and climate parameters. Thanks to the successful comparison of the observations of the measuring instruments on board the aircraft and on the ground, they can serve as a reliable reference for validating satellite instruments that measure air pollution from space.
Navy Days 2024
Navy Days 2024
Mariene rapporten Instituut voor Natuurwetenschappen / Rapports marins Institut des Sciences naturelles
Luchttoezicht / Surveillance aérienne
NL: 30 jaar Belgisch luchttoezicht boven de Noordzee – Evolutie, trends en ontwikkelingen
FR: 30 ans de surveillance aérienne belge de la mer du Nord – Evolution, tendances et développements
EN : 30 years of Belgian North Sea aerial surveillance – Evolution, trends and developments
Zeezoogdieren (en andere bijzondere fauna) / Mammifères marins (et autre faune spéciale)
Rapport 2023:
NL: Zeezoogdieren en zeeschildpadden in België in 2023
FR: Mammifères marins et tortues marines en Belgique en 2023
Voorgaande rapporten (sinds 2014) / Rapports précédents (depuis 2014) :
https://marinemammals.be/reports
Monitoring offshore windparken / Surveillance écologique des parcs éoliens offshore
Voorgaande rapporten (sinds 2009) / Rapports précédents (depuis 2009)
BELREEFS: The first offshore pilot project for large-scale oyster reef restoration in the Belgian North Sea
Before 1850, flat oyster reefs were a dominant structural and ecological component of the North Sea ecosystem. Due to human influences and a persistent oyster parasite, they have all but disappeared today. Nevertheless, oyster reefs are important ecosystems. They are often called “ecosystem engineers” because they create habitats that support entire ecosystems. On behalf of the Belgian FPS Public Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment, partners from science and industry are now building the BELREEFS project: the first offshore pilot project for large-scale oyster reef restoration in the Belgian North Sea.
BELREEFS is a collaboration between Jan De Nul Group, the Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Shells & Valves and Mantis Consulting, acting in accordance with the recommendations of the Native Oyster Restoration Alliance (NORA). Industry and science join forces to tackle the challenges of restoring oyster reefs, a complex operation that requires innovation and creative solutions. The complexity of the logistical support, and the sensitivity of oysters to disturbance (during seeding, transport and installation at sea), requires in-depth knowledge covering different fields of expertise.
Vicky Stratigaki, engineer and project coordinator for BELREEFS at Jan De Nul Group: “We want to create an oyster reef that is self-sustaining. Our ambition is to create long-term nature restoration, without further human intervention. One of the choices we are making to achieve this, is to install the oyster reefs where they historically occurred: at the so-called gravel beds.”
BELREEFS consists of three phases (see images below): from the current gravel bed to the deployment of oyster reef substrate seeded with oyster spat within the BELREEFS project, and towards the third phase where biodiversity increases. This biodiversity is characterized by various marine fauna and flora species attracted to a self-sustaining oyster reef.
Determining the precise location of oyster reefs is one of the Institute of Natural Sciences’ core missions.
Vera Van Lancker and Steven Degraer, Institute of Natural Sciences: “To maximize the survival and reproduction of oyster reefs, we identify locations with the most suitable seabed and environmental conditions. Additionally, natural protection from damage and optimal placement conditions are crucial. Therefore, we will conduct a detailed mapping of the seabed.“
Furthermore, the project builds on some key innovations. For example, BELREEFS will use ‘remote setting’, a technique in which they allow oyster larvae to settle directly on a suitable substrate in the lab, to release them into the sea afterwards. Once installed, the oysters will be followed for several years through an intensive monitoring programme.
Senne Aertbeliën, FPS Public Health, Marine Environment Department: “The European oyster has always been an important core species in our North Sea, but it has since almost completely disappeared. The active recovery of these populations is therefore a priority for us. The fact that we can cooperate on this scale with scientists and companies to this end is unique“.
Monitoring of ship emissions praised for sustainable impact
The monitoring programme of the Institute of Natural Sciences for emissions of sulphur oxides (SOx) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) of ships at sea was awarded the ‘Special Commendation for Sustainable Impact’ in the context of the Greening Award Initiative of the European Maritime Safety Agency. A well-deserved recognition for the impact and sustainability of our efforts to combat air pollution from ships at sea.
In May 2024, the monitoring programme of the Institute of Natural Sciences for SOx and NOx emissions of ships at sea, part of the aerial surveillance of the North Sea, was nominated as a finalist for the Greening Award Initiative of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), in the ‘Greening Operations’ category.
The Greening Award Initiative is jointly organised with Frontex (the European Border and Coast Guard Agency) and the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) and celebrates the sustainability actions of authorities performing coast guard functions in the EU.
The presentation of the awards took place on 27 June 2024 at the 7th Annual European Coast Guard Event, hosted by EFCA in Tenerife, Spain, and had good news in store for the operators and pilots of the Belgian aerial surveillance programme. Although the award went to the Maltese Grand Harbour Clean Air Project, the Belgian programme ‘Remote Measurements for SOx and NOx monitoring’ was awarded the ‘Special Commendation for Sustainable Impact’.
A pioneer programme
Since 2015, the Institute of Natural Sciences, using funding from the Connecting Europe Facility programme, has equipped the Belgian coastguard aircraft with a sniffer sensor to measure ship emissions of ocean-going vessels at sea. This application made it a truly pioneering project, and the program is still a source of inspiration for many other countries.
This monitoring programme is successful thanks to good cooperation with the Secretary of State for Science Policy and the Minister of Defence, who support the maintenance, the operation and the renewal of the Belgian Coast Guard aircraft and examine how a successor can be purchased, with the Minister of the North Sea who, among other things, provided the NOx sensor, and with the Directorate General Shipping, which organizes the follow-up of suspicious SOx and NOx values on land.
The aircraft now monitors for CO2, SO2, NOx, and black carbon, and the reports from its sniffer operations mean that port state control inspection efficiency has improved by over 50%.
Well-deserved recognition
The ‘Greening Operations’ category encompasses operational actions and projects that have led to an improved environmental footprint of ships crossing the North Sea. Important attention is paid to actions or projects which empower a green transition, contribute to a more sustainable future, and which directly or indirectly support the goals of the European Green Deal.
By innovatively applying sensors in the sniffer sensor setup of the Belgian Coast Guard aircraft, continuously monitoring emissions from ships at sea and reporting the results to the competent authorities, and publishing the findings in international professional literature, the Belgian programme does not only contribute to the technical development of equipment to measure air pollution from ships at sea, but also to the development of knowledge about the effect on compliance and to the further development of national and international legislative frameworks.
It is therefore no coincidence that the special commendation that highlights both the impact and the sustainability of that impact was awarded to the Belgian aerial monitoring of SOx and NOx emissions from ships at sea.
Minister of North Sea Paul Van Tigchelt: “Establishing low-emission zones in the North Sea and embracing international regulations like MARPOL Annex VI to curb maritime emissions are only effective with strong enforcement mechanisms in place. Belgium has pioneered this effort with the NOx and SOx sensors on the sniffer aircraft. We’re paving the way for cleaner air and a healthier environment. This award is a recognition for the excellent work of everyone involved in the sniffer aircraft project.”
Other categories and commendations
More info on the Greening Award Initiative (including the other categories ‘Outreach and awareness raising’ and ‘Greening At Work’) and the nominees in all categories van be consulted here.
It is worth mentioning that within the ‘Greening Operations’ category there are also Special Commendations for ‘Technical Excellence’ (awarded to the new Spanish Patrol Vessels for Fishing Inspection and Surveillance) and for ‘Sustainable Transformation’ (awarded to Hybrid propulsion naval units for Venice, Italy).
The ‘Greening at Work’ award went to the Flemish Agency for Maritime and Coastal Services (MDK), that is implementing an ambitious set of sustainability projects across the entire range of its actions and activities under the common denominator ‘Working Together Towards a Greener Europe Project‘.