Base

The Sites
• North Feni Ridge was found to include a narrow
channel (moat) to the south-west of Rosemary Bank.
• Rockall Trough was found to be a gently sloping basin
between the Anton Dohn Seamount and the Barra
Fan.
• Maury Channel was found to be a gently sloping area.
Infaunal Communities
• Communities were found to be high in diversity
(different species) and low in numbers (abundance)
which is characteristic of unimpacted sediments.
• Communities were thought to have a limited food
supply, which is usual in deep water.
Epifaunal Communities
• Abundance and diversity were greater than expected.
• Greater diversity was apparent in the North Feni Ridge.
• Limited sampling precluded detailed analysis of data.On the basis of the data reported there was little to choose
between the three potential disposal areas. Analytical
data for the North Feni Ridge moat area may indicate that

North Feni Ridge
• Rockall Trough
• Maury Channel
Investigation Carried Out
• Seabed visualisation surveys were carried out to
confirm the topography in each area.
• Surface sediment samples were collected using a box
core sampler and analysed for heavy metals,
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), oil-related
hydrocarbons and radionuclides.
• Analyses were undertaken to determine the particle
size distribution, and total organic carbon levels of the
sediment.
• Box core samples were taken to count the numbers
of animals living in the sediment of the seabed
(infauna).
• Beam trawl samples were collected to determine the
different animals living on the
this area might be accumulative, but this would not
preclude sea disposal operations.
The disposal operation was cleared through the Oslo and
Paris Commissions (OSPAR) to secure international
agreement.
The North Feni Ridge option was opposed by the conservation
organisation Greenpeace, and the Brent Spar
was towed to a Norwegian fjord. An alternative, and more
expensive, land disposal operation was... [continues]

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