The Footprint of Ship Anchoring on the Seafloor

The footprint of ship anchoring on the seafloor

With the COVID-19 pandemic came what media has deemed the “port congestion pandemic”. Intensified by the pandemic, the commonplace anchoring of high-tonnage ships causes a substantial geomorphologial footprint on the seabed outside marine ports globally, but isn’t yet quantified. We present the first characterisation of the footprint and extent of anchoring in a low congestion port in New Zealand-Aotearoa, demonstrating that high-tonnage ship an…

Ship anchors are killing at-risk marine life on the Antarctic seabed

Scientists reveal how ship anchor damage is scarring Antarctica’s seafloor and threatening fragile ecosystems.