18 May 2026
Photo by Peter Kostov Speaking at the State Opening of Parliament on 13 May, King Charles III confirmed a sweeping legislative programme for 2026–27, anchored by an Energy Independence Bill and a Clean Water Bill. For marine professionals, the speech contained both significant opportunity and pointed omissions. “My Ministers believe that energy independence must be a […]
18 May 2026
Photo by Marian Florinel Condruz Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has granted development consent to three major offshore wind farms on the same day as the King’s Speech, adding up to 4GW of new North Sea generating capacity, equivalent to a quarter of the UK’s entire current offshore wind fleet. The decisions, announced on 13 […]
18 May 2026
Photo by Wim van ‘t Einde The Nederlandse Vissersbond (Dutch Fishermen’s Association) has reported that rising sea temperatures are driving a significant increase in squid abundance across the southern and central North Sea, presenting new commercial opportunities for Dutch fishermen – but also exposing gaps in how the fishery is managed. According to the […]
12 May 2026
Photo by Paul Einerhand A Dutch court has ruled that bottom trawling in the Dogger Bank without permits is unlawful, in what is believed to be the first European judgment confirming that governments have a binding legal duty to regulate the impact of bottom trawling on offshore marine protected areas. The District Court of […]
05 May 2026
Photo by Todd Cravens A humpback whale that spent more than five weeks stranded in the shallow waters of Germany’s Baltic Sea coast has been released into the North Sea, after a privately funded rescue team loaded it onto a specially adapted barge and towed it hundreds of kilometres to deeper water. The whale, […]
21 Apr 2026
Photo by Michael Ziegler The North Sea is at a critical inflection point. A vast number of ageing oil and gas structures are reaching the end of their operational life and will require decommissioning, while hundreds of new offshore wind turbines are being deployed. As the basin becomes increasingly geopolitically contested, and with future considerations […]
14 Apr 2026
Image description: A puffin with fish in its beak. Photo by Tim Morgan Defra published its updated UK Marine Strategy Part One on 7 April 2026 – the first full update since 2019 and the opening of the strategy’s third six-year implementation cycle. The headline finding is stark: the UK is failing to meet Good Environmental Status in […]
07 Apr 2026
Photo by Rogue Li New research into the acoustic impact of offshore wind farms on marine life has produced a series of counterintuitive findings — and raised questions about how well the industry understands its effects on the underwater environment. PhD candidate and marine biologist Fien Demuynck, of Leiden University, spent years conducting fieldwork along the […]
