Audible response

Danish Ports' consultation response to the application to the Danish Coastal Authority for planting eelgrass at 49 different locations in connection with The Great Eelgrass Initiative 

The Danish Coastal Authority's j.nr. 24/00998, General comments, and explicitly regarding ID no. 19, Nakskov, ID 27 Nyborg and ID 32 Randers. 

Danish Ports hereby submits a consultation response regarding the planting of eelgrass at 49 different locations in connection with The Great Eelgrass Initiative. 

Danish Ports has not been on the consultation list in this case, even though it directly affects our members. In the future, Danske Havne wishes to receive consultations from the Danish Coastal Authority that are relevant to the operation of commercial ports. 

In Danish Ports we are very positive about the purpose of The Great Danish Eelgrass Initiative, namely to establish large eelgrass beds in coastal Danish waters to improve habitats for fish and small animals and contribute to the aquatic environment achieving good ecological status again. 

Naturally, such a nature restoration project must be placed in suitable areas where the eelgrass can be allowed to grow thick and strong. This is not the case in harbor channels, which must be regularly maintained by removing accumulated sediment, among other things. 

In the proposed areas, there are several shipping channels and harbor inlets, and these must of course be kept free from the project's planting. Danish Ports will suggest that the secretariat of the Eelgrass Initiative should contact the individual ports close to the proposed areas to jointly determine where the eelgrass can be placed without conflicting with the port's maintenance and operations.  

Requirements for nearby ports' approval of the location of new eelgrass areas must be included as a condition in the license for the individual sub-projects. 

Specifically, the initiative proposes planting eelgrass in Nakskov Port's shipping channel. A commercial shipping channel is infrastructure, just like roads on land, and must be operated and maintained so that ships can move freely back and forth in the channel. 

It is important that such initiatives, of which there will hopefully be many, take place in collaboration with and respect for relevant stakeholders, such as commercial ports. In this way, the port's employees can become players and assets in the future nature restoration of the Danish coastal waters. 

In this connection, Danske Havne finds it positive that the project description states that the project does not want to inconvenience already established facilities or shipping in the area. It is important that this is also ensured in practice.  

Dredged sediment from maintenance of the shipping channels can in some cases be utilized to place on muddy seabed to make it more suitable for planting and re-establishing eelgrass beds. This can be made part of the project/ future projects where new suitable areas are to be found. 

Sincerely yours, 

Camilla Rosenhagen 

Danish Ports