Marine Incidents Management Cluster (MIMAC) Research in the framework of the BELSPO Supporting Actions – SPSDII ( ) VLIZ

Marine Incidents Management Cluster (MIMAC) 2-years cluster project ( ):  Risk analysis of marine activities in the Belgian Part of the North Sea (RAMA)  Development of an integrated database for the management of accidental spills (DIMAS) Website MIMAC:

Objectives 1. Optimization communication and interaction 2. Avoid duplication & overlap of efforts & data generation 3. Minimise gaps in knowledge by mutual exchange of information and data 4. Integration of results & data 5. Increase visibility & dissemination of results by international networking 6. Create added value for the researchers & end users 7. Explore opportunities in future research

Structured co-operation

Knowledge gaps RAMA:  data on ecotoxicity for the selected substances in RAMA were not readily available;  data on fate of chemicals were not available. DIMAS:  data on transport were very limited;  data on distribution of chemicals were not available. MIMAC: even after clustering the DIMAS and RAMA projects, some data gaps remained:  more information (modelling) is needed concerning fate and distribution of chemical spills on the North Sea; current modelling efforts are solely focussed on oil spills;  for a number of substances, marine-specific ecotoxicity data are lacking so that extrapolations from freshwater data were needed.

Knowledge gaps & future opportunities RAMA:  data on ecotoxicity for the selected substances in RAMA were not readily available;  data on fate of chemicals were not available. DIMAS:  data on transport were very limited;  data on distribution of chemicals were not available. MIMAC: even after clustering the DIMAS and RAMA projects, some data gaps remained:  more information (modelling) is needed concerning fate and distribution of chemical spills on the North Sea; current modelling efforts are solely focussed on oil spills;  for a number of substances, marine-specific ecotoxicity data are lacking so that extrapolations from freshwater data were needed. Future research possibilities

International conference 1. Optimization communication and interaction 2. Avoid duplication & overlap of efforts & data generation 3. Minimise gaps in knowledge by mutual exchange of information and data 4. Integration of results & data 5. Increase visibility & dissemination of results by international networking 6. Create added value for the researchers & end users 7. Explore opportunities in future research