Safely acquiring new resources

The UK has one of the largest dredging
industries in the world and marine-sourced
aggregates make a vital contribution to the
UK aggregate supply for construction, coastal
protection and land reclamation.
To date, more than 900 million tonnes of
marine sands and gravels have been extracted
from the UK’s continental shelf and marinedredged
aggregates account for about a fifth
of the UK’s sand and gravel production. Due to
increasing pressure on onshore resources and
the large quantities of material likely to be
needed for infrastructure projects, this
offshore demand is unlikely to decline.
This, combined with competing demands
for space on the sea bed from rapidly growing
new developments, means that it is more
important than ever to ensure offshore
resources are planned and managed
effectively.