Page 12: of Marine Technology Magazine (March 2014)

News Many of Europe?s marine species, habitats and ecosystems have been un- der threat for decades. As maritime economic activities are predicted to in- crease in coming years, a new brie ng from the European Environment Agen- cy (EEA) argues that the cumulative im- pact of human activity should be better managed to avoid irreversible damage to ecosystems.Many European industries have grow- ing cumulative impacts on the sea, in- cluding transport,  shing, offshore en- ergy and tourism. ?Marine messages? highlights the vulnerable nature of Eu-rope?s marine ecosystems, which may be irreversibly damaged if they continue to be exploited beyond sustainable lim- its. European countries need better in-formation to help them understand the nature of these limits, the brie ng says. The publication is being launched to support the HOPE marine conference on March 3-4, 2014. Hans Bruyninckx, EEA Executive Director said, ?The rich life in Europe?s seas is an incredible as- set. But we must ensure that this asset is used in a sustainable way, without sur- passing the limits of what the ecosys-tems can provide. The current way we use the sea risks irreversibly degrading many of these ecosystems.? Approximately two  fths of the EU?s population ? 206 million people ? live in a coastal area, and 23 of 28 Member States have a coastline. According to analysis from the European Commis-sion, Member States must make urgent efforts and improve cooperation for the marine environment to reach good sta- tus by 2020, a target under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). Europe?s Marine Ecosystems Marine ecosystems are in a poor state of health in many areas, the EEA brief- ing says. There are more than 36 000 known animal and plant species in the European seas. Species surveys have found that ?good environmental status? can be applied to less than a  fth of spe- cies and a similar proportion of habitats. Different seas face different problems. Eutrophication is leading to oxygen-free ?dead zones? in the Baltic and Black Seas, while trawling has been most de- structive of the seabed in the North Sea. The Mediterranean is under pressure from a range of factors, many of them related to  shing and tourism. In the last 25 years, sea surface tem- peratures have increased approximately 10 times faster than in other similar pe- riods during the previous century or be- yond. These climatic changes are push- ing many organisms northwards ? for example some types of plankton appear to have moved 1,100km. Looking AheadHowever, it is not a single issue but the cumulative effect of different pressures which is most important, the brie ng notes. And many of these pressures are connected. For example, higher temper- atures also increase oxygen depletion, affecting marine life, while increasing CO2 levels in the atmosphere are acidi- fying the oceans, making it dif cult for some animals to form shells. Together these changes may be disrupting whole ecosystems.www.eea.europa.eu Europes Seas Under  reat Image © Joachim S Müller, courtesy European Environment Agency Nautronix Delivers for Rowan Nautronix delivered the Þ rst two NASDrill RS925 and NASeBOP (Emergency BOP Acoustic Control) systems from its current order of four systems for two of Rowan?s new ultra-deepwater drillships, the Rowan Relentless and the Rowan Reliance. The total contract value is worth approximately $10m. Nautronix? NASDrill RS925 system has been designed to meet the requirements for a reliable, stable DP and position reference system for demanding offshore operations, in particular deepwater drilling vessels. March 2014 12 MTRMTR #2 (1-17).indd 12MTR #2 (1-17).indd 122/24/2014 10:07:17 AM2/24/2014 10:07:17 AM