A Sea Changefor the Mari

TThhee UUKK mmaarriinnee aarreeaa ccoovveerrss ssoommee886677,,000000kkmm22,, aann aarreeaa eeqquuiivvaalleenntt ttoo ssoommeetthhrreeee--aanndd--aa--hhaallff ttiimmeess tthhee UUKK’’ss

tteerrrreessttrriiaall eexxtteenntt.. YYeett,, uunnlliikkee oonn llaanndd,, uunnttiillnnooww tthhee mmaarriinnee eennvviirroonnmmeenntt hhaass nnoott bbeeeennssuubbjjeecctt ttoo aannyy ssoorrtt ooff iinntteeggrraatteedd ppoolliiccyy,,ppllaannnniinngg oorr mmaannaaggeemmeenntt.. HHoowweevveerr,, tthhaannkkss ttootthhee RRooyyaall AAsssseenntt ooff tthhee MMaarriinnee && CCooaassttaallAAcccceessss AAcctt iinn NNoovveemmbbeerr 22000099,, tthhiiss iiss ggooiinngg ttoocchhaannggee,, aanndd tthhee nneexxtt ffeeww yyeeaarrss aarree lliikkeellyy ttoopprreesseenntt aa nnuummbbeerr ooff cchhaalllleennggeess aanndd ssoommeeooppppoorrttuunniittiieess ffoorr tthhee BBrriittiisshh mmaarriinnee aaggggrreeggaatteeiinndduussttrryy..TThhee mmaarriinnee aaggggrreeggaattee sseeccttoorr mmaakkeess aa

rreellaattiivveellyy ssmmaallll ccoonnttrriibbuuttiioonn iinn tteerrmmss ooffmmeeeettiinngg ccoonnssttrruuccttiioonn aaggggrreeggaattee ddeemmaanndd iinntthhee UUKK,, ccoonnttrriibbuuttiinngg aarroouunndd 66%% ooff pprriimmaarryyaaggggrreeggaattee ddeemmaanndd.. HHoowweevveerr,, aatt aa nnaattiioonnaall aannddrreeggiioonnaall ssccaallee tthhee ccoonnttrriibbuuttiioonn ooff tthhee sseeccttoorrbbeeccoommeess mmoorree ssiiggnniiffiiccaanntt –– mmeeeettiinngg aarroouunndd2200%% ooff ssaanndd aanndd ggrraavveell ddeemmaanndd iinn EEnnggllaannddaanndd WWaalleess,, aarroouunndd aa tthhiirrdd ooff tthhee pprriimmaarryyaaggggrreeggaattee uusseedd iinn LLoonnddoonn aanndd tthhee SSoouutthh EEaasstt,,aanndd 9900%% ooff tthhee nnaattuurraall ssaanndd ccoonnssuummeedd iinnSSoouutthh WWaalleess.. AArroouunndd 8800%% ooff aallll mmaarriinneeaaggggrreeggaattee ssaalleess iinn EEnnggllaanndd aanndd WWaalleess aarreeuusseedd aass ccoonnccrreettee aaggggrreeggaattee,, wwhheerree mmaarriinneessuuppppllyy ccoonnttrriibbuutteess aarroouunndd 1188%% ooff ttoottaall ssaalleess..CCuurrrreennttllyy,, 1122 ccoommppaanniieess ooppeerraattee 2266 vveesssseellss

oonn 7700 pprroodduuccttiioonn lliicceennccee aarreeaass llooccaatteedd ooffff tthheeccooaassttss ooff EEnnggllaanndd aanndd WWaalleess.. LLiicceennsseedd aarreeaassaarree ggrroouuppeedd iinnttoo sseevveenn bbrrooaadd rreeggiioonnss,, wwhhiicchhrreefflleecctt tthhee ddiissccrreettee ggeeoollooggiiccaall ddiissttrriibbuuttiioonn oofftthhee rreelliicctt fflluuvviioo--ggllaacciiaall ddeeppoossiittss tthhaatt aarreettaarrggeetteedd bbyy tthhee iinndduussttrryy.. AAss ooff tthhee eenndd ooff 22000099,,aa ttoottaall ooff 11,,228866kkmm22 ooff sseeaabbeedd wweerree lliicceennsseeddffoorr mmaarriinnee aaggggrreeggaattee eexxttrraaccttiioonn iinn tthhee wwaatteerrssaarroouunndd EEnnggllaanndd aanndd WWaalleess –– aann aarreeaaeeqquuiivvaalleenntt ttoo tthhrreeee ttiimmeess tthhee ssiizzee ooff tthhee IIsslleeooff WWiigghhtt –– ooff wwhhiicchh aarroouunndd 112244kkmm22 iiss ddrreeddggeedd

iinn aa ttyyppiiccaall yyeeaarr.. TThhiiss rreepprreesseennttss aarroouunndd 00..1155%%aanndd 00..001166%% ooff tthhee ttoottaall UUKK ccoonnttiinneennttaall sshheellffaarreeaa rreessppeeccttiivveellyy.. AA ffuurrtthheerr 11,,993311kkmm22 ooffsseeaabbeedd iiss ccuurrrreennttllyy uunnddeerr aapppplliiccaattiioonn oorrccoovveerreedd bbyy pprroossppeeccttiinngg lliicceenncceess.. IInn tthhiissrreessppeecctt,, tthhee mmaarriinnee aaggggrreeggaattee sseeccttoorr iissrreessppoonnssiibbllee ffoorr mmaannaaggiinngg aa ssiiggnniiffiiccaanntt ppoorrttiioonnooff tthhee UUKK sseeaabbeedd tthhrroouugghh tthhee eexxcclluussiivveelliicceenncceess aanndd ooppttiioonnss ooppeerraattoorrss rreecceeiivvee ffrroommTThhee CCrroowwnn EEssttaattee..TThhee llooww vvaalluuee//bbuullkk nnaattuurree ooff ccoonnssttrruuccttiioonn

aaggggrreeggaatteess mmeeaannss tthhaatt tthheeyy aarree ppaarrttiiccuullaarrllyysseennssiittiivvee ttoo ttrraannssppoorrtt ccoossttss.. AAss aa mmaarriinneeaaggggrreeggaattee ddrreeddggeerr ccaann llooaadd,, ttrraannssppoorrtt aannddddeelliivveerr uupp ttoo 88,,550000 ttoonnnneess ((eeqquuiivvaalleenntt ttoo 442255iinnddiivviidduuaall lloorrrryy llooaaddss)),, tthhee eeccoonnoommiieess ooffssccaallee iinnvvoollvveedd mmeeaann tthhaatt iitt iiss ppoossssiibbllee ffoorrmmaarriinnee aaggggrreeggaattee ttoo bbee ccoosstt--eeffffeeccttiivveellyyttrraannssppoorrtteedd oovveerr ccoonnssiiddeerraabbllee ddiissttaanncceess((mmoorree tthhaann 115500kkmm)).. TThhiiss aalllloowwss mmaarriinneeaaggggrreeggaattee ttoo ffiillll ggaappss iinn rreessoouurrccee aavvaaiillaabbiilliittyyaarroouunndd tthhee ccoouunnttrryy,, oofftteenn ddeelliivveerriinngg ccaarrggooeessiinnttoo ccooaassttaall uurrbbaann aarreeaass,, cclloossee ttoo tthhee ppooiinntt ooffddeemmaanndd..

CCuurrrreenntt pprroodduuccttiioonnIInn 22000099 tthhee UUKK iinndduussttrryy pprroodduucceedd 2200..1199mmiilllliioonn ttoonnnneess ooff mmaarriinnee ssaanndd aanndd ggrraavveell,, 1100mmiilllliioonn ttoonnnneess ooff wwhhiicchh wwaass llaannddeedd iinn EEnnggllaannddaanndd WWaalleess ffoorr uussee aass ccoonnssttrruuccttiioonn aaggggrreeggaattee..OOff tthhiiss ttoottaall,, mmoorree tthhaann 55..88 mmiilllliioonn ttoonnnneess wwaassllaannddeedd aatt wwhhaarrvveess aalloonngg tthhee TThhaammeess eessttuuaarryy,,eeqquuiivvaalleenntt ttoo tthhrreeee ccaarrggooeess ooff 55,,000000 ttoonnnneessbbeeiinngg ddeelliivveerreedd eevveerryy ddaayy ooff tthhee yyeeaarr..SSoommee 3300%% ooff ttoottaall pprroodduuccttiioonn ffrroomm UUKK

wwaatteerrss –– 55..77 mmiilllliioonn ttoonnnneess iinn 22000099 –– iisseexxppoorrtteedd ttoo tthhee nneeaarr CCoonnttiinneenntt ((FFrraannccee,,HHoollllaanndd aanndd BBeellggiiuumm)) ffoorr uussee aass ccoonnssttrruuccttiioonnaaggggrreeggaattee,, mmaakkiinngg aa ccoonnttrriibbuuttiioonn ttoo tthheennaattiioonn’’ss bbaallaannccee ooff ppaayymmeennttss.. TThhee eexxppoorrtt

mmaarrkkeett eexxiissttss bbeeccaauussee,, aass iinn ppaarrttss ooff tthhee UUKK,,tthhee aavvaaiillaabbiilliittyy ooff llooccaallllyy wwoonn tteerrrreessttrriiaallaaggggrreeggaatteess iiss bbeeccoommiinngg iinnccrreeaassiinnggllyyccoonnssttrraaiinneedd –– wwiitthh bbootthh HHoollllaanndd aanndd BBeellggiiuummhheeaavviillyy rreelliiaanntt uuppoonn iimmppoorrttss ooff ccoonnssttrruuccttiioonnaaggggrreeggaattee ffrroomm aaddjjaacceenntt nnaattiioonnss ((GGeerrmmaannyyaanndd FFrraannccee iinn ppaarrttiiccuullaarr,, aalloonngg wwiitthh ccrruusshheeddrroocckk bbyy sseeaa ffrroomm SSccaannddiinnaavviiaa)).. WWhhiillee bbootthhhhaavvee ssiiggnniiffiiccaanntt vvoolluummeess ooff ffiinnee––mmeeddiiuummssaannddss,, wwhhiicchh aarree wwiiddeellyy eexxppllooiitteedd ffoorr bbeeaacchhnnoouurriisshhmmeenntt,, llaanndd rreeccllaammaattiioonn aannddccoonnssttrruuccttiioonn ppuurrppoosseess,, nneeiitthheerr HHoollllaanndd nnoorrBBeellggiiuumm hhaavvee aannyy ssiiggnniiffiiccaanntt rreessoouurrcceess ooff tthheeccooaarrssee ssaanndd oorr ggrraavveell nneecceessssaarryy ffoorr ccoonnccrreetteepprroodduuccttiioonn ggeeoollooggiiccaallllyy pprreesseenntt oonn tthheeiirrrreessppeeccttiivvee ccoonnttiinneennttaall sshheellvveess.. IImmppoorrttss aarree,,tthheerreeffoorree,, ffuurrtthheerr ssuupppplleemmeenntteedd bbyy mmaarriinneessaanndd aanndd ggrraavveell ffrroomm BBrriittiisshh lliicceennsseedd aarreeaass–– ppaarrttiiccuullaarrllyy aalloonngg tthhee ccooaassttaall ssttrriipp,, wwhheerreetthhee eeccoonnoommiieess ooff ssccaallee tthhaatt ccoommee ffrroommmmaarriinnee ttrraannssppoorrtt mmeeaann tthhaatt llaarrggee vvoolluummeessccaann bbee ddeelliivveerreedd cclloossee ttoo tthhee uurrbbaann aarreeaasswwhheerree tthheeyy aarree ttoo bbee uusseedd..MMaarriinnee--ddrreeddggeedd ssaannddss aanndd ggrraavveellss aallssoo

pprroovviiddee aa ssttrraatteeggiicc rroollee iinn ssuuppppllyyiinngg llaarrggee--ssccaallee ccooaassttaall ddeeffeennccee aanndd bbeeaacchhrreepplleenniisshhmmeenntt pprroojjeeccttss –– mmoorree tthhaann 2255 mmiilllliioonn ttoonnnneess bbeeiinngg uusseedd ffoorr tthhiiss ppuurrppoosseessiinnccee tthhee mmiidd--11999900ss.. WWiitthh tthhee ggrroowwiinngg tthhrreeaattssppoosseedd bbyy sseeaa--lleevveell rriissee aanndd iinnccrreeaasseeddssttoorrmmiinneessss,, tthhee uussee ooff mmaarriinnee ssaannddss aannddggrraavveellss ffoorr ccooaassttaall ddeeffeennccee ppuurrppoosseess wwiillllbbeeccoommee iinnccrreeaassiinnggllyy iimmppoorrttaanntt ffoorr tthheepprrootteeccttiioonn ooff ccooaassttaall ccoommmmuunniittiieess aannddiinnffrraassttrruuccttuurree,, ppaarrttiiccuullaarrllyy aass tthheerree iiss nnoopprraaccttiiccaall aalltteerrnnaattiivvee ssoouurrccee ooff sseeddiimmeenntt ffoorrllaarrggee--ssccaallee ssoofftt eennggiinneeeerriinngg wwoorrkkss.. TThheecchhaalllleennggeess ppoosseedd bbyy ffllooooddiinngg aanndd ccooaassttaalleerroossiioonn aarree rreefflleecctteedd iinn tthhee ffaacctt tthhaatt uunnddeerr tthheeOOccttoobbeerr 22001100 CCoommpprreehheennssiivvee SSppeennddiinngg ��

28 www.Agg-Net.com December 2010

By Mark Russell, director, British Marine Aggregate Producers Association (BMAPA)

December 2010 www.Agg-Net.com 29

A Sea Changefor the Marine Aggregate Sector

30 www.Agg-Net.com December 2010

Review, Defra received £2 billion to addressthis area.Reflecting the reduced demand for

construction aggregates, BMAPA members’production fell by nearly 25% during 2009, andby the end of that year the capacity of thedredging fleet had been reduced by 11% as fivevessels were either laid up or put on to part-time working. While the marine sector’ssupply into markets along the river Thamesremained relatively stable during 2009, morelocal markets, such as those along the southcoast, in the Bristol Channel and in the Irish

Sea, have seen a significant reduction inproduction demand – a reflection of both thenational and local scale of the recession.Against this background, the overall

production from marine aggregate licencesonly reduced by 6% during 2009, comparedwith the previous year. This was largely as aresult of one-off contract fill projects tosupport major infrastructure schemes, suchas the port extension at Felixstowe and thenew airport development at Ronaldsway onthe Isle of Man. The ability to supply a diverserange of markets represents one of the

marine sector’s key strengths in respondingto the challenging market conditions –whether supplying construction aggregate inthe UK or overseas, providing beachnourishment material in support of coastaldefence schemes, or supporting major capitalinfrastructure projects, such as portdevelopments and energy installations.

FFuuttuurree ooppppoorrttuunniittiieessLooking to the future, marine sand and gravelresources are likely to play a key role insupporting the successful delivery of majorinfrastructure projects associated withgovernment policies related to energy securityand climate change, such as nuclear newbuilds, tidal power developments (albeit notin the near future), port developments andoffshore wind farms.The most recent nuclear new build,

Sizewell B in Suffolk, saw 1.64 million tonnesof marine sand and gravel delivered to the siteby sea. Given the coastal location of themajority of the sites identified by theGovernment for the current nuclear new-buildprogramme, the sector can expect to playsome role in supplying material for theconstruction and ongoing coastal protectionof these sites.The same is true of the Government’s

ambitious offshore renewable-energyprogramme. With the announcement of nineRound 3 offshore wind-farm zones at thebeginning of this year, and with theconstruction of offshore wind farms movinginto deeper offshore waters, the use of gravity

A beach nourishment operation

Dredger unloading its cargo at Angerstein Wharf on the river Thames

Marine Aggregates

December 2010 www.Agg-Net.com 31

base foundations (GBFs) is likely to becomeincreasingly attractive. This type of technologyhas already been employed at the ThorntonBank wind farm development some 30km offthe Belgian coast, where 60 turbines havebeen installed. With the construction of eachGBF requiring 1,000m3 of concrete, and afurther 2,000m3 of sand for ballast fill onceinstalled, the potential demand for marineaggregate materials could be significant. Inrecognition of the importance of offshoreenergy to both climate change and energysecurity, the recent Comprehensive SpendingReview allocated £200 million to theDepartment of Energy and Climate Change(DECC) for the development of manufacturingfacilities at port sites, which once againunderlines the growth potential.In order to meet these various needs, the

marine aggregate sector is dependant uponidentifying and licensing economically viablesand and gravel deposits to secure sufficientreserves to maintain long-term supply toexisting and well-established markets. Justas on land, the locations of such deposits areextremely localized around the waters ofEngland and Wales, being restricted in theirgeological distribution and in theirgeographical position relative to the locationof the markets. However, unlike the majorityof equivalent resources on land, the potentialsand and gravel resource that is availableoffshore is considerable. Estimates suggestthat resources present in existing licence andapplication areas are sufficient to support atleast 50 years’ production, subject to thenecessary consents being issued, and thereare considerably more resources present onthe UK shelf.An example of the resource potential of

marine aggregate deposits is demonstratedby the Maasvlakte 2 project in Holland, whichis extending Rotterdam harbour into the

North Sea. New licence areas have beenconsented on the Dutch continental shelfspecifically to provide the fill material, andover the next five years a total of 250 millioncubic metres of marine sand (375 milliontonnes) will be dredged to reclaim the newland area. During March this year, aremarkable 3 million cubic metres of sandwas dredged in a single week – equivalent toa quarter of the UK industry’s total productionduring 2009. Given that the size of the Dutchcontinental shelf is 64,000km2 or less than onetenth the size of the UK shelf area, it ispossible to get a feel for the potential scaleof the marine aggregate resource that isavailable to the UK.The challenge for the industry is to maintain

the resources that are already licensed, tosecure permissions for new resources to bedredged, and to try to ensure that areas ofpotential resource are safeguarded fromother forms of development to prevent thembecoming sterilized.Of the current licence areas, over 30 have

to be renewed by the end of 2013. Eachrenewal will require a site-specificEnvironmental Impact Assessment (EIA), butthis is also being supported through voluntary,industry-led Regional EnvironmentalAssessment (REA) studies to considerregional-scale cumulative and in-combinationissues. This approach has been adaptedfrom groundbreaking work undertaken insupport of new dredging permissions in theEastern English Channel and has seenoperators working together through regionalassociations, in conjunction with The CrownEstate, to complete four such studies. Theoverall objective is to make the assessmentprocess more consistent, robust and effectivefor operators, regulators and consulteesalike, with the site-specific EIAs then drawingon the regional findings. This fits well withgovernment moves towards a more ecosystemapproach to marine management – managingactivities at a regional scale, and this is nowbeing used as a model to assist theassessment of the current Round 3 offshorewind farm zones. Building on this still further,the industry is now also working inpartnership with the Crown to develop aregional model for licence management andmonitoring – again looking to deliver a moreconsistent, robust and effective approach toconsent monitoring and management.

EEvvoollvviinngg mmaarriinnee ppoolliiccyyHistorically, the wide range of activities thattake place in the marine environment havebeen considered in isolation from one another,often supported by sectoral policies �

1.64 million tonnes of marine aggregate were used in the construction of Sizewell B

Part of the Thornton Bank wind farm development

32 www.Agg-Net.com December 2010

and regulations that take little or no accountof the multitude of other activities or uses thatexist. The result has been growing levels ofconflict and competition between activities asthe UK marine area and the various resourcesit contains have become subject to increasinglevels of pressure. This situation has arisen inthe absence of a more strategic integratedplanning and policy framework, similar tothat which exists on land. However, it has beenfurther compounded by the fact that, unlike on

land, the marine environment is generallysubject to multiple use – with shipping, fishing,aggregate extraction and recreational activitiesall potentially taking place over the samegeographic area.The Marine and Coastal Access Act, which

received Royal Assent in November 2009,fundamentally changes marine managementby introducing a more integrated, holisticapproach to planning, using and protecting UKseas – an approach which is firmly grounded

on the principles of sustainable development.The Act, which took around five years todevelop, now provides a high-level legislativeframework for the delivery of sustainablemarine use and integrated planning andmanagement. As far as the marine aggregatesector is concerned, the Marine Act will resultin five principle changes: the establishment ofa new Marine Management Organisation(MMO) to deliver the sustainable use of themarine environment, including planning andregulatory responsibilities; the development ofa UK Marine Policy Statement to define thevision and policy priorities for sustainablemarine use; a new system of marine planning;a new integrated marine licensing regime; anda new network of nationally important MarineConservation Zones.The development of a UK Marine Policy

Statement (MPS) is well under way, and thefinal statement should be published by April2011. This document will provide the high-levelpolicy context for the development of nationalmarine plans, and also guide decisions madeunder the new marine licensing regime whichis also being developed. In this respect, thecontent of the MPS is absolutely central tosecuring the marine aggregate sector’s ‘licenceto operate’ for the medium to long term.From a marine aggregate perspective, the

draft MPS recognizes that ‘…the UK has someof the best marine aggregate resources in theworld’, and that ‘…marine sand and gravelmakes a crucial contribution to meeting thenation’s demands for construction aggregatematerials’. The policy document also highlightsthe role marine aggregate supplies play inunderpinning wider government policy

The Marine and Coastal Access Act will fundamentally change marine management

The development of a UK Marine Policy Statement (MPS) is well under way

December 2010 www.Agg-Net.com 33

priorities, such as climate change adaptation(through beach nourishment), energy (egnuclear new builds and renewable energy) andtransport (port development).In terms of the implications for planning, the

draft MPS requires marine plan authorities to,as a minimum, make provision for marineaggregate supplies to contribute to theoverarching government objective of‘…securing an adequate and continuing supplyto the UK for various uses’, and to take intoaccount ‘…the potential long-term requirementfor marine-won sand and gravel, taking intoaccount trends in construction activity, likelyclimate change adaptation strategies andmajor project development’. For the first time,the MPS also acknowledges the need topotentially safeguard reserves for futureextraction.Translating the policy objectives and visions

of the final MPS into delivery on the ground willbe a new process of integrated marine planninginstigated at a national scale – a first for UKwaters. Each of the devolved administrationsis responsible for delivering marine planningin their own jurisdiction; and in English waters,where the majority of UK marine aggregateinterests lie, the responsibility for delivery rests with the new Marine ManagementOrganisation. Ten marine plan areas havebeen defined for English waters, coveringboth nearshore (within 12 nautical miles) andoffshore (beyond 12 nautical miles) areas,and marine aggregate interests can be foundwithin seven of these. As a consequence, thedevelopment of the marine planning processwill be of central importance to the industry –both in terms of maintaining the currentlicensed interests as well as looking to thefuture. The planning process, which willcommence in April 2011, will see two planareas (expected to be adjacentnearshore/offshore areas) developed in parallelwith one another, with each regional plan takingtwo to three years to be completed. Similar

processes will also be taking place in Welsh,Scottish and Northern Irish waters.At the end of October 2010 the first two

English marine plan areas were announcedby the MMO. Collectively, they cover an areaof the southern North Sea extending fromFlamborough Head in Yorkshire to Felixstoweon the Suffolk/Essex border. This areaincorporates a wide range of ongoingactivities, including significant offshorerenewable energy developments, carboncapture and storage, and European marineprotected sites, as well as the Humber andEast Coast dredging regions, which collectivelycomprise around 50% of the sector’s currentproduction. The planning process is verymuch in its infancy, and as such there areconsiderable advantages for the industry inbeing directly involved in the first plans to bedeveloped.The advent of the Marine and Coastal

Access Act has resulted in a sea change in theway that the marine environment is planned,used and protected. Each of the componentsintroduced by the Act represents a significantstep change in the way that the marineaggregate sector will be regulated andmanaged. With all these changes occurringin parallel with one another, the challengesfacing the industry in responding to the policyand management changes over the next fewyears will be considerable. But, at the sametime, these challenges have to be balancedagainst the significant opportunities thatexist in being able to develop a more robustand certain future for the industry goingforward in the medium and long term. Giventhe resource potential of UK marine aggregateresources and the range of strategicallyimportant policy areas they can support, thelong-term outlook for the marine aggregateindustry looks bright. QM

The long-term outlook for the marine aggregate industry looks bright

The UK has some of the best marine aggegate resources in the world

Marine Aggregates