Offshore Plants

Report

OSPAR comes from the fusion in 1992 of the Paris Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution from Land-based Sources and the Oslo Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution by navy and aircraft immersion operations. The latter was initiated following the shock of the oil spill from the Torrey Canyon March 18, 1967.
OSPAR is dedicated to the protection of the northeast Atlantic Ocean. It is a pilot fish. The work of its 5 committees – Biodiversity, Offshore Industry, Radioactive Substances, Environmental Impact of Human Activities, Hazardous Substances and Eutrophication – allows better understanding and combat of the many pressures on marine ecosystems from the open sea of Portugal to the Arctic Ocean. This success is notably materialized by a quality status report without concession of the OSPAR zone in 2010 (1). Seven years later, the OSPAR pilot fish is threatened of asphyxia by the Arctic countries. Robin des Bois has returned from the Biodiversity and Offshore Industry committees which gathered in Berlin and in Oslo the first two weeks of March.

Only in French.

Only in French.

Only in French.

Only in French.

The US Navy chemical factory ship will in the coming days proceed into the Atlantic Ocean and the Bay of Biscay heading towards the North sea.

The Cape Ray is loaded with 6000 tons of chemical aqueous and solid waste issued from the neutralization in the Mediterranean Sea of 560 tons of precursors of the Syrian chemical weapons.

The Cape Ray mission was carried out from July 9th to August 18th. It consisted in diluting precursors of sarin (540t) and of sulfur mustard agent (20t) pulled out of the Syrian territory. Only laconic communiqués from the Pentagon have dotted this sea run neutralization. No circumstantial account of weather conditions, ship spottings, technical uncertainties, air release has been published.

According to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) the most challenging phase towards the destruction of Syrian chemical weapons has just ended with the removal of the last declared precursors and other chemicals from Syrian soil. This first step was constantly delayed in spite of a good knowledge of the associated risks and the participation by numerous State Parties of the OPCW Convention.

However, the next step will enter into unknown territory. The plan is to neutralise 20 metric tonnes of mustard agent and 540 metric tonnes of sarin precursor at sea.

Since the beginning of the year two vessels, loaded with agents for chemical weapons, have been rocking and rolling in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. There exact location is confidential. The Ark Futura is a 180 meter long RoRo ship operating under the Danish flag. The crew is multinational. The Taiko is a 262 meter long RoRo ship operating under the Norway International flag. In the case of a collision or fire this type of vessel, which can be likened to a floating parking lot, is very vulnerable and will sink quickly.

The maritime industrial area will cover 50 km2 and will be spiked with 75 monsters, iron and non recyclable composite made and 150 m in wingspan. They will peak 180 m above sea level. The seabed will be drilled by underpinning stakes. The marine sediments will be occupied by a mess of electrical wires. Each machine will weigh at least 1500 tonnes. No wind turbine of this type and power – 6 MW – has ever proved in real conditions its supporting capacity and productivity.

These outrageous projects of construction of wind turbine parks off Noirmoutier, Saint-Nazaire, Saint-Brieuc, D-Day beaches, Fécamp and Le Tréport are promoted and operated by Alstom, Areva and EDF, the very same players which have imposed the nuclear miracle upon France. Caution is the order of the day.

Only in French.