Examples of innovating maritime actions
in Basse Normandie
More than 400 kilometers of littoral
EFFORTS
“Effective operations in ports”
EFFORTS
European FP-6 DG Research Integrated Project
"Effective Operations in Ports" aims to improve the
competitiveness of European port operations and the
quality of the ports labour conditions and market, being a
prominent one in coastal regions.
Commencing 1st May 2006 and lasting for 36 months
EFFORTS, research and development will focus on three
scopes of application:
•Navigation in Ports
•Ports and Environment
•Port Organisation
EFFORTS
Leader : University of Caen
“Ballast waters pollutions during ships reception"
What is a ballast ?
Ballast : any material used to weight and/or balance an object.
Ballast water is therefore water carried by ships to ensure stability,
trim and structural integrity.
Inside a Ballast tank
Interior of a Ballast
Topside
Double
bottom
A muddy oxidized environment
of difficult access
Hold used
as ballast
when filled
with water
“Ballast waters pollutions during ships reception"
Ballast water of the ships  vector of spreading of
unwanted species :
- Invasive
- noxious
- pathogenic
60% of the world shipment of goods are done by sea
(approximately 35.000 ships : 10 billion tons of water
from ballast each year in the world (22 million released
in french ports)
The livingspecies travelling by the way are estimated at 7000
per day in the world
The ballast water treatment technologies
tested were during MARTOB Program
High temperature thermal treatment
De oxygenation
Ultraviolet light
Ultrasound
Ozone
Oxicide treatment
Advanced oxidation technology
Principal results of MARTOB
 The treatments appear effective on zooplancton.
 The tests did not succeed in showing the effectiveness
of the treatments
on the phytoplancton.
 The results on bacteriology are not conclusive.
EFFORTS
Tests of active substances
"Aluminium pollution related
to the protection of ports infrastructures/quay".
Sacrificial anodes are used in cathodic
protection to prevent steel structures
(immersed pipe, ships, harbour works, ballast
water tanks) exposed to sea water from
corrosion
In most of cases, anodes are composed
by ZINC and ALUMINIUM
Example of Le Havre harbour (Normandy)
10 harbour works on cathodic protection
(Al sacrificial anodes)
356 T of anodes for 15 years
24T of Al per year is dissolved in marin waters
"Aluminium pollution related
to the protection of ports infrastructures/quay".
 Aluminium is not recognized as a toxic substance, and
acts as an indicating parameter that can be exceeded....
 According to various researchers, the toxicity of
aluminium for the brain cannot be denied.
 "There is a lack of information on the subject ... We do
not have scientific bases proving the toxicity of this metal"
(W.H.O secretary, 1997).
 Ports need to be given realistic information regarding
the toxicity of aluminium, to know if aluminium can enter
the food chain and if concentrations are dangerous or not
for human health
Radioecology Laboratory
Activities :
Determining changes in radioactivity levels in coastal, offshore, and
terrestrial environments.

Monitoring the behaviour and fate of environmental radionuclides, and
determining how they might be transferred to humans.

Studying the dispersal of radioactive elements in the Channel and North
Sea, in particular, those released by the spent fuel reprocessing plants at La
Hague (France) and Sellafield (United Kingdom), as well as nuclear power
plants.

Determining the contribution of various sources of artificial radioactivity
(industry, fallout from atmospheric weapons testing, fallout from the Chernobyl
accident).

Modeling mechanisms governing radioactive transfer to the
environment.

A tool for maritime secutity
The existing hydrodynamic models with the IRSN make it possible to
simulate in a realistic way dispersion of soluble substances in marine
environment.

These models use the hydrodynamic code Mars developped at the point
with IFREMER, it were adapted and validated with the IRSN by soluble
measurements of radio-tracers (more than 15000). Their fields of validity
and their precision are known.

They can be used to reconstitute or to envisage to become to it industrial
wastes or to study to become to it pollutants within the biological and
sedimentary compartments of the marine environment

Shipwreck of ECE
10 000 tons of
phosphoric acide
Dispersion simulation of accidental phosphoric acid rejection
Ece ship in 2006
Thank you for your attention