Monitoring shipping on the changing North Sea

In the coming years the North Sea will change dramatically due to the development of additional offshore activities such as wind farms, other forms of energy and food production.
This will have a significant impact on life at sea, from the wind and current patterns and ecosystems, to the shipping movements.
Over the past decade MARIN has monitored maritime traffic on the North Sea by analysing Automatic Identification System (AIS) data provided by the Netherlands Coastguard. Team Leader Traffic & Safety Yvonne Koldenhof comments: “We are delighted to announce that our successful collaboration with the Rijkswaterstaat (RWS) (part of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management) is set to intensify through a five-year project where we are monitoring the shipping movements as the North Sea changes and evolves due to the increase in activities offshore.” This is the part of RWS’s wide-reaching MOSWOZ Monitoring and Research Programme, which is studying shipping safety related to offshore wind.