Waters around British Isles ‘among most dangerous’

The waters around the British Isles are among the most dangerous in the world in terms of shipping accidents, according to conservation group WWF.

There were 135 reported shipping accidents in the shipping lanes around the British Isles, North Sea and Bay of Biscay between 1999 and 2011, WWF said.

This made the area the fourth worst in the world for accidents, with incidents including fires, collisions and leakage of toxic waste.

WWF said the North Sea was one of the most intensively sailed seas in the world with more than 120,000 ship movements taking place there every year.

The South China Sea and East Indies, east Mediterranean and Black Sea, were also found to be dangerous hotspots for accidents involving ships.

WWF’s marine manager Dr Simon Walmsley said: “Shipping lanes around the UK are already some of the world’s busiest and will get busier as the global fleet expands. The risk of accidents and environmental disaster is only going to increase so efforts must be made to lower the risk.

“Unfortunately in the past we’ve seen that it is only after a major accident that safety and environment measures are reviewed. That needs to change if we want to maintain healthy seas.”

Released ahead of World Oceans Day, the figures showed the three areas with the most shipping accidents between 1999 and 2011 were the South China Sea and East Indies, the east Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

In that period there have been 293 shipping accidents in the South China Sea and East Indies, home to 76 per cent of the world’s coral species. WWF said fishing vessels accounted for nearly a quarter of the vessels lost at sea but general cargo ships accounted for more than 40 per cent.