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.