Great to be behind the new Fisheries Working Group (London & South East) initiative to help promote & support the fishing & aquaculture sector in London & the South East.

With Maria Caulfield, MP for Lewes, Sussex; this group has been founded by leading members of the Newhaven & Sussex Inshore Fishing fleet, the region’s commercial fishing ports & National Maritime .

It will bring together industry specialists in this area & support the region’s entire fishing & aquaculture sector, to ensure continued development & strengthen its position as the leading centre in the UK for the processing & marketing of seafood & aquaculture produce.

Its goal is to deliver a community-led, long-term strategy, working with the entire supply chain from the marine environment to the end consumer.

We will co-chair the group with Sussex fisherman, Martin Yorwarth and members will unite under the Quality Mark for Maritime SMEs, for companies that ‘Source, Service or Produce’ in the UK.

The inaugural meeting is planned for July and we welcome EOI from businesses involved in the seafood journey from catch to plate.

To register your interest please email: info@nmdg.co.uk

The Marine Conservation Society has released a new report in partnership with Rewilding Britain which outlines the importance of the UK’s seas in helping the UK to reach its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.

It is hoped that the report, entitled Blue Carbon – Ocean-based solutions to fight the climate crisis will persuade politicians and the public alike that ‘rewilding’ the ocean’s ecosystems will aid in the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to be stored in ‘natural solutions’, a process becoming known as ‘blue carbon’

They are calling on the UK Government and devolved administrations to act with urgency to invest in, co-develop and implement a four-nation Blue Carbon Strategy.

The suggested strategy focuses on three key action areas:

– Scaling up marine rewilding for biodiversity and blue carbon benefits

– Integrating blue carbon protection and recovery into climate mitigation and environmental management policies

– Working with the private sector to develop and support sustainable and innovative low-carbon commercial fisheries and aquaculture.

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The New Zealand Defence Force has issued a request for information on design and build solutions for an eventual ice-strengthened offshore patrol vessel that the Royal New Zealand Navy would operate in the Southern Ocean and Antarctic’s Ross Sea for at least four months per year.

Several ship-building companies are likely to respond to the RFI, including Damen Naval Naval and FINCANTIERI S.p.A. subsidiary VARD Group.

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It’s great to see the RNLI making the #maritimeconnection with National Maritime SME Working Group Champions the MIT Group, who have proudly supplied the two Twin Disc MGX5086SC gearboxes fitted onboard the new Shannon Class vessel that will patrol the waters of the River Medway.

After a long delay because of the Coronavirus pandemic, the state-of-the-art Shannon class vessel arrived at her new permanent home of Sheerness, after leaving the RNLI’s headquarters in Poole, Dorset.

The new £2.2 million lifeboat will transform the way Sheerness RNLI volunteers are able to save lives at sea. With a top speed of 25 knots and a range of 250 nautical miles, the self-righting lifeboat is ideally suited for offshore searches or equally for rescues in calmer shallower waters, such as the creeks and channels of the Medway.

National Maritime SME Working Group Champions Lankelma Ltd have announce they have made a joint investment in a new ROSON Seabed CPT and High Powered Vibrocorer to deliver geotechnical services from beach landings to offshore with partners N-Sea Group

These new equipment acquisitions, alongside Lankelma’s existing capability for on and nearshore geotechnical investigations partnered with N Sea’s offshore survey experience has led to a partnership that is uniquely positioned to provide quality service across the full water depth range of all offshore activities, whether than be Oil and Gas, Renewables, or interconnector markets.

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PD Ports, owner and operator of Teesport, has secured a third long-term deal at its recently unveiled state-of-the-art bulks facility, accelerating future expansion plans due to demand from global manufacturers and shippers.

The UK major ports group signed a long-term contract with a third global customer to secure the remaining bays inside the 300,000 sq.ft. Teesport Bulks Terminal based on the port estate.

Opened during pandemic, the £9.2 million investment by PD Ports to renovate and refurbish the former Steel Export Terminal in to the modernised Teesport Bulks Terminal, marked an important milestone in the revival of the Tees Valley, continuing to boost trade, investment and creating 44 new direct jobs with a further 250 jobs in the wider supply chain.

This investment follows the £50M redevelopment of Teesport’s No. One Quay, supported by Regional Growth Funding, to enhance and expand rail-connected bulk handling facilities at Teesport.

Now, less than one year on, the Teesport Bulks Terminal is now planning to extend the facility further.

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The Port of London Authority (PLA) has awarded a contract to model the future of energy demand and supply on the tidal Thames as it looks to shape the zero carbon port for the future.

Royal HaskoningDHV, working with the UCL University Maritime Advisory Services will undertake the energy demand study for the PLA, building on the Emission Reduction Roadmap for Inland Vessels on the tidal Thames, released in 2020. The roadmap sets out options available for reducing air and carbon emissions, including biofuel and emissions abatement, battery-electric, and fuel cell-electric; it concluded a mix of energy provisions will be needed to suit the different operational needs on the tidal river.

The aim of the energy demand modelling is to assess the energy solutions and infrastructure needed to support decarbonisation in order to create certainty for adoption of low carbon technologies, for operators on the Thames, including the PLA’s own vessels. It will help the PLA and the wider Thames community in making their investment decisions.

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Up to $250,000 + 1:1 support available.

The Ocean Innovation Challenge (OIC) is a unique new mechanism that has been designed to accelerate progress on SDG14 by identifying, financing, advising, & mentoring truly innovative, entrepreneurial & creative approaches to ocean & coastal restoration & protection that sustains livelihoods & advances the ‘blue economy’.

The OIC seeks innovations that are transferable, replicable, & scalable to achieve maximum catalytic impact. Through this challenge it is seeking innovative solutions that address one or more of the following SDG 14 targets:

14.4 By 2020, end overfishing, IUU fishing & destructive fishing practices

14.7 By 2030, increase the economic benefits to SIDS & LDCs from the sustainable use of marine resources, including through sustainable management of fisheries (and) aquaculture.

14.b Provide access for small scale artisanal fishers to marine resources & markets

Project proponents can include governments, private companies (including start-ups), NGO/CSO, United Nations entities, academic institutions, & intergovernmental organizations.

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France has sent a naval patrol vessel to Jersey as tensions escalated as a flotilla of around 70 boats gathered in St Helier harbour in a clash over fishing rights.

Earlier, the crews of the assembled French fishing vessels set off flares and talked over maritime radio of a blockade.

Two Royal Navy ships, HMS Tamar which is equipped with machine guns and a helicopter landing pad, and HMS Severn, were keeping a distance, tracking the protest, and watching from just over a mile.

It comes after French maritime minister Annick Girardin warned on Tuesday that the country was ready to take “retaliatory measures”, after accusing the Channel Island of dragging its feet over issuing new licences to French boats.

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