Hundreds of end-of-life oil rigs in the North Sea are to be decommissioned over the next 30 years. The rules surrounding decommissioning are governed by the OSPAR convention (the mechanism by which 15 governments & the EU cooperate to protect the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic). The UK government, despite being a signatory to … [continue reading]
PRESS RELEASE: Emergency Towing Vessels provision should be a ‘blue light’ service with intercept targets
Shetland Islands, August 8th 2019 In an open letter to Brian Johnson, Chief Executive of the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency, KIMO International (Association of Municipalities for Sustainable Seas) responds to the recent Shipping Risk and Emergency Towage Provision Study commissioned by the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and conducted by Fraser-Nash Consultancy. KIMO … [continue reading]
Monitoring beach litter in Denmark
Why monitor marine litter? KIMO Denmark has been collaborating with DCE, The National Centre for Environment and Energy at Arhus University to monitor litter washed up on 5 Danish beaches. The work contributes data and knowledge which is used to inform Denmark’s Marine Strategy. The sea has no boundaries. This becomes abundantly clear when we begin … [continue reading]
Exploring extended producer responsibility schemes for fishing gear
Background The EU Plastics Strategy mandates EU Member States to ensure that an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme be established so that producers of fishing gear containing plastic will cover the costs of collection of derelict and end-of-life gear that have been delivered to adequate port reception facilities and its subsequent transportation and treatment. Workshop … [continue reading]
North Sea Commission and KIMO launch transnational river cleanup
This article was originally published on the North Sea Region blog. Next year, a new campaign will involve citizens in a river cleanup across the North Sea Region. At the opening of the North Sea Conference, the president of the North Sea Commission Kerstin Brunnström and advisor to the Commission’s Marine Resources Group Yolanda Schmal … [continue reading]
How shipping container loss harms coastal communities : KIMO presents its case at seminal EU workshop
Since 2005, KIMO has campaigned to prevent pollution of our seas resulting from the loss of shipping containers. At the same time we have been working together with fishermen to clean our seas. The Fishing for Litter scheme is aimed principally at litter that is present at the seafloor. Most marine litter accumulates gradually, however, sometimes … [continue reading]
Lochinver children see their wish come true
A pre-school in Lochinver has successfully lobbied to get its local harbour to join KIMO’s Fishing For Litter project which makes this harbour the 20th in Scotland. The children made a sign and sent it to KIMO via Twitter to raise the profile of their campaign. KIMO’s Fishing For Litter project works with the fishing … [continue reading]
Strengthening ties at the North Sea Commission’s 2019 Conference
The Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) was established in 1973. It is an independent network of over 150 European Regions from both within and outside the European Union representing peripheral maritime regions. The network operates to bring these regions together for discussion and debate on areas that are of common concern (agriculture, fisheries, transport, … [continue reading]
New skips to mark 15 years of Fishing for Litter in Shetland
News release from Shetland Fishermen’s Association and KIMO International New skips to mark 15 years of successful marine litter scheme New dedicated Fishing for Litter skips have been installed at Lerwick and Scalloway harbours to mark 15 years of the highly successful project. To raise awareness of the voluntary scheme, which is run by KIMO … [continue reading]
KIMO’s latest report looks at marine litter at UNESCO World Heritage sites
The 1972 UNESCO World Heritage Convention unites 193 nations behind a shared commitment to preserve the world’s outstanding heritage for the benefit of present and future generations. The UNESCO World Heritage List includes 49 ocean places – distributed across 37 countries – recognised for their unique marine biodiversity, singular ecosystem, unique geological processes or incomparable beauty. The … [continue reading]
