MEHRAs - Marine Environmental High Risk Areas

What is it:

MEHRAs are essentially an aid to passage planning. They were designated following the recommendations in the Report Safer Ships, Cleaner Seas. The data have been digitised by Marine Scotland from the 2006 Report.

Links to Scotland's Marine Atlas:

Chapter 5: Maritime Transport (Ports and Shipping)

Data originators:

Scottish Government (Marine Directorate)

This information page is part of the theme:

Maritime Transport (Ports and Shipping)

Marine Environmental High Risk Areas (MEHRAs) © Scottish Government

More Information:

Safer Ships, Cleaner Seas contained the recommendation of the Donaldson inquiry.

Donaldson recommended a comparatively limited number of areas of high environmental sensitivity, which are also at risk from shipping, should be identified and established around the UK coast: referred to as Marine Environmental High Risk Areas (MEHRAs). Donaldson said that their primary purpose was "... to inform [ships'] Masters of areas where there is a real prospect of a problem arising. This prime purpose stands alone and regardless of any consequential defensive measures". Once identified, MEHRAs were to be marked on Admiralty charts, as an encouragement to mariners to take extra care in those areas.

The areas were later identified in the Report Establishment of Marine Environmental High Risk Areas (MEHRAs) Protection of United Kingdom Waters from Pollution from Ships (2006).

This page was last modified on :

Tuesday, March 20, 2018 - 15:40

Map Type	Click title for metadata and licence information	Date of data	View Map
Map Layers (NMPi)	Marine Environmental High Risk Areas (MEHRA)	2022-12-08	Access this map on NMPi

Type	Title	External link
Reports	Establishment of Marine Environmental High Risk Areas (MEHRAs) Protection of United Kingdom Waters from Pollution from Ships (2006)	webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk