Feasibility studies in relation to the IMO Ballast Water Convention

This project is aimed to develop possibilities to overcome the difficulties which arise from the implementation of the Ballast Water Convention (IMO 2004). For this purpose, three feasibility studies have been conducted: assessment of the applicability of small scale test systems; development of protocols for testing active substance residues; risk assessment of ballast water discharge

Environmental Risk Assessment of Produced Water Discharges on the Dutch Continental Shelf

The OSPAR Offshore Industry Committee (OIC) has decided, in its meeting of 2008, to evaluate the possibility of implementing a risk based approach towards produced water management. Currently, Norway has made most progress in this field as it has fully implemented the Environmental Impact Factor as the basis of their biannual reporting obligations. The Netherlands has for as yet mainly followed a source (immission) based approach, and therefore did not adopt a specific risk based approach. In this study an overview is provided of current approaches to assess the ecological risk of produced water discharges and it is investigated how these approaches can be used in the Dutch situation for produced water management as intended by the OIC

Disturbance-effect relationships applied in an integral Ecological Risk Analysis for the human use of the North Sea

The relationship between the intensity of seven types of human based disturbances and their resulting effects on survival and reproduction of 30+ species were described as a function of increased mortality or reduced reproduction in the report of Jak et al 2000. The numerical values of the parameters in these functions were, as far as possible, estimated on the basis of data from literature, dealing with the sensitivity of the considered species, or otherwise of related species or biota in general, for the regarded disturbanc

OSPAR-OIC Intercalibration Study on metals in produced water samples: a QUASIMEME Laboratory performance Study

The Offshore Industry Committee (OIC) of OSPAR discussed in its 2008 meeting the reporting of inputs of metals from offshore installations. INPUT is currently compiling data and information on discharges and emissions to the OSPAR maritime area to be used in the Quality Status Report (QSR). This includes an assessment of the inputs of cadmium, lead, and mercury in produced water. Initial estimates were considered by OIC to be unrepresentative, since many of the analyses recorded values below the analytical detection limits of the techniques used. Given the urgency of producing reliable information that could be used to prepare estimates of inputs of cadmium, lead, and mercury for the QSR, OIC agreed to conduct a further study, using the assistance of Quasimeme, to ensure quality assurance from sampling to measurement and reporting. This report focuses on the intercalibration exercise

Clean Seas Maritime Technology Network: Inventarisatie uitgevoerde studies

Zowel bedrijven als kennisinstellingen in de maritieme sector werken de laatste jaren hard aan het ‘vergroenen’ van scheepvaart en offshore activiteiten. Om deze initiatieven te bundelen is door het Maritiem Kennis Centrum het Clean Sea Shipping programma ontwikkeld (bij sommigen beter bekend als de Maritieme Milieubalans). Om dit programma tot uitvoering te laten komen is met financiering uit het Maritiem Innovatie Programma (MIP) een thematisch netwerk in het leven geroepen met de titel ‘Clean Seas Maritime Technology Network’. De kern van daadwerkelijke verduurzaming van de sector ligt in een integrale benadering van de verbetering van de milieuprestaties. Hierbij wordt niet alleen gekeken naar gasvormige emissies, maar tegelijkertijd ook naar bijvoorbeeld de uitloging uit aangroeiwerende coatings, emissie van geluid of de lozing van ballastwater. Op dit moment is een dergelijke integrale benadering nog niet beschikbaar. Het doel van dit Maritiem Technologie Netwerk (MTN) is het overdragen van kennis en informatie die nu specifiek bij kennisinstellingen op maritiem en marien technologisch gebied aanwezig is, onderling en naar industrie, zodat deze partijen met elkaar in staat zijn vorm te geven aan de ontwikkeling en implementatie van deze integrale benadering

Risk Assessment of Bioaccumulation Substances. Part II: Description of a Model Framework

This report provides a proposal for a framework for risk assessment of bioaccumulative substances, either from produced water discharges or present as background contamination. The proposed framework is such that it is compatible to the current EIF risk assessment models that are used in the Norwegian offshore oil and gas industry. The risk assessment approach selected for this framework is based on the use of critical body residues (CBR); i.e., body-tissue concentrations above which adverse effects are expected. A three-tiered risk assessment approach is distinguished: tier 1 for worst-case screening purposes; tier 2 based on probabilistic risk assessment using species sensitivity distributions and tier 3 focusing on population modelling for specific species. The latter tier is, because of its specific characteristics, not elaborated in detail. It is proposed to use a food-chain accumulation model to translate species sensitivity thresholds on the basis of CBR into external threshold concentrations, those external thresholds could then be used to either derive an ecosystem PNEC (tier I) or Species Sensitivity Distribution (tier II). This would provide a pragmatic approach to risk assessment of bioaccumulative substances in the context of the EIF modelling framework. Finally, an outline is provided for a research project in which the a risk assessment model for bioaccumulative substances is developed. This model will then be applied to two cases for purposes of demonstration and evaluation. An indication of workload and planning is provided

Wageningen University and Research centre : Your partner for sustainable development in the Arctic

This position paper explores new claims in the Arctic region. These claims are closely connected to new developments in the region such as climate change and the utilisation of natural resources. The aim of the paper is to illustrate how Wageningen University and Research centre contributes to sustainable development in the Arctic

Report of the workshop on the application of dispersants in the North Sea

In the Netherlands, the use of detergents in oil spill response had been banned since the 1970s. The main reasons for this change in policy are that in recent years new dispersant products have become available which are less environmentally harmful (high biodegradability, low toxicity) and more effective (less product necessary and applicable to a broader range of oil types and circumstances). In addition, there is a desire to harmonize international policy for oil spill response in the North Sea region, where most countries apply dispersants as a secondary option. In the Netherlands the plan is to use detergents only in those cases where mechanical response is not enough for preventing the oil slick from moving into an ecologically or economically sensitive area. In order to effectively permit the application of dispersants, defining conditions and a decision tree are required. This workshop was organized to discus what is needed in a decision tree that can be used in a practical application framework