Cleaner Marina Checklist
Key ways in which we can make our marinas, ports and harbours, cleaner:
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Plant, Rewild.
Trees, plants and wild flowers are incredibly important for our keeping our global ecosystem balanced, healthy and cool, not least because they absorb carbon dioxide.
They are also home to a whole host of creatures and insects that keep our food chains and global food production running, and are hugely important to our wellbeing and mental health, too.
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Anti-fouling and bottom-scrubbing.
Antifoul paint is unfortunately a very toxic substance, full of chemicals and microplastics. Studies now show that in our inshore waters and sheltered seas, ship and boat coatings are the principle source of microplastics pollution
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Pick-up, Clean-up.
With 10 million plus tonnes of plastic heading into our waters each year, there is a lot to clean-up. As safe-havens of slow waters and limited tides, waste can collect quickly and often in our marinas and harbours Whilst it's incredibly important to prevent waste from entering our waters, it's also necessary to clean up what is already there.
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Anchoring and mooring rules.
Our seabeds are the largest carbon storehouse on our planet, so it's vital we preserve and protect them. Anchors, in particular, can cause huge damage to seagrasses and corals, destroying these structures which are anywhere between a few years to a few thousand years old.
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Full waste and recycling facilities.
Using, maintaining and servicing our boats creates waste - from paint and oil to compost and packaging.
Providing full collection and disposal units in our marinas and harbours helps to ensure such waste stays out of our environment, and our seas.
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Low-tox, ocean-minded products.
From deck-cleaner and washing-up liquid to sunscreen, most of what is used on and around boats ends up in our marinas and surrounding waters, whether directly overboard or through grey water.
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Celebrating our species.
Our waters are incredible - home to millions of species, all over the world. Our marinas are safehavens, not just for sailors and seafarers but also for many amazing creatures that use our marinas as a home, a feeding ground, a mating ground, or a playground!
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Supporting life below the waterline.
There is a whole world beneath our pontoons and boats. Seagrasses, mussels and oysters in particular favour safe, shallow UV light rich waters in which to live and grow.
Not only are these species highly important in preserving our marine ecosystem and food chains, they are great at filtering and oxygenating our waters - keeping them rich, healthy and full of life.
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Cleaner, safer re-fuelling.
Over 90% of all oil and fuels spills in our global waters coming from every-day filling up of tanks and leaky engines.
We as marinas, ports and harbours are best placed to help ensure cleaner, safer refuelling and to help educate boatowners and users on refuelling and engine maintenance.
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Raw sewage and pump-out facilities.
In some of our countries, holding-tanks and pump-out facilities are mandatory but for many, they still aren't.
Sewage contaminates the water, promotes the spread of viruses and bacteria such as E.coli, can reduce the amount of oxygen in the water by promoting species such as mucilage (or 'sea snot') to grow, as well as being unsightly and smelly.