This dataset represents the location of the Princess Elizabeth zone in the Belgian Part of the North Sea as described in the Royal Decree of May 22th, 2019, establishing a marine spatial plan for the period 2020-2026. Art. 8. § 3.

The Royal Decree of 20 March 2026 establishing the marine spatial plan for the period 2026 to 2034 in the Belgian marine areas defines 1 radar tower: Oostdyck radar tower (Art. 25§3). It replaces the 2020 Marine Spatial Plan. Please refer to the Belgian official gazette ("Moniteur belgeBelgisch Staatsblad") for official reference information.

The Royal Decree of 20 March 2026 establishing the marine spatial plan for the period 2026 to 2034 in the Belgian marine areas defines 13 military use zones: Mine warfare exercise zone – QZR 040 (Art. 21§1.1°), Mine warfare exercise zone – NBH-10 (Wenduine) (Art. 21§1.2°), Mine warfare exercise zone – NB-01 (Westhinder) (Art. 21§1.3°), Mine warfare exercise zone (Buiten Ratel) (Art. 21§1.4°), Belgisch Nationaal Oefengebied voor Marineschepen (BNOM) (Art. 21§1.5°), Shallow Water Zone (Art. 21§1.6°), Zone for detonation exercises and operations (Art. 21§2), Lombardsijde firing sector: small sector (Art. 21§3.1°), Lombardsijde firing sector: middle sector (Art. 21§3.2°), Lombardsijde firing sector: large sector (Art. 21§3.3°), Paardenmarkt munitions disposal site (Art. 22§1). It replaces the 2020 Marine Spatial Plan. Please refer to the Belgian official gazette ("Moniteur belgeBelgisch Staatsblad") for official reference information.

The Royal Decree of 20 March 2026 establishing the marine spatial plan for the period 2026 to 2034 in the Belgian marine areas defines 1 coastal protection experiments zone: Coastal protection belt (Art. 20§2). It replaces the 2020 Marine Spatial Plan. Please refer to the Belgian official gazette ("Moniteur belgeBelgisch Staatsblad") for official reference information.

This dataset is part of the 2018 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 6, criterion 1. This dataset describes and maps the the physical loss of the seabed in the Belgian part of the North Sea (BPNS) in the period 2011-2016. The dataset combines the different human activities responsible for a loss of seabed, including wrecks, measuring piles and radar stations, pipelines, power and telecommunication cables with their rock dump, and wind farms. The area lost is mapped and quantified per year, per activity and per benthic broad habitat.

The Royal Decree of 20 March 2026 establishing the marine spatial plan for the period 2026 to 2034 in the Belgian marine areas defines 1 commercial and industrial zones: Zone C for commercial and industrial activities (Art. 27§1). It replaces the 2020 Marine Spatial Plan. Please refer to the Belgian official gazette ("Moniteur belgeBelgisch Staatsblad") for official reference information.

The Royal Decree of 20 March 2026 establishing the marine spatial plan for the period 2026 to 2034 in the Belgian marine areas defines 13 nature conservation areas: Seabed integrity zone: Zone 1, upper (Art. 10§1.1°), Seabed integrity zone: Zone 2, middle (Art. 10§1.2°), Seabed integrity zone: Zone 3, lower (Art. 10§1.3°), Ramsar area (Art. 11), Special Area of Conservation "Vlaamse Banken" (Art. 8§1), Special Area of Conservation "Vlakte van de Raan" (Art. 8§3), Special Protection Area for Birds: SPA 1 (Art. 8§5.1°), Special Protection Area for Birds: SPA 2 (Art. 8§5.2°), Special Protection Area for Birds: SPA 3 (Art. 8§5.3°), Marine reserve: Zone 1, upper (Art. 9§1.1°), Marine reserve: Zone 2a, middle (Art. 9§1.2°), Marine reserve: Zone 2b, middle (Art. 9§2), Marine reserve: Zone 3, lower (Art. 9§3). It replaces the 2020 Marine Spatial Plan. Please refer to the Belgian official gazette ("Moniteur belgeBelgisch Staatsblad") for official reference information.

This dataset is part of the 2018 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 10, criterion 1. The seafloor dataset describes the litter gathered between 2012 and 2014 during beam trawl (BTS) fishery surveys in the Belgian part of the North Sea (BPNS). It provides the date, location and haul information, type of litter found and information in the size of the items. Additionally the ship name and cruise references are reported. The data is recorded following ICES guidelines allowing future inclusion in the ICES online database DATRAS (Database of Trawl Survery). The sludge dataset describes the litter found between 2013 and 2016 on dredge disposal sites located in the coastal area of the Belgian part of the North Sea (BPNS). It provides the date, location, amount and type of litter as well as methodological information (e.g. mesh size). Additionally, the ship name and cruise references are reported. The beach litter dataset contains information on beach litter for the period 2012-2016 washed ashore on two reference beaches (Oostende Halve Maan & Oostende Raversijde). 40 surveys (100m transects) have been executed until January 2017. Monitoring & data recording has been done according to the OSPAR Guideline for Monitoring Marine Litter on the beaches in the OSPAR maritime area (OSPAR, 2010). Besides the number of litter items, the category is also noted. The dataset is characterized by a high variation in the number of items. The data are reported to OSPAR beach litter database. Conclusions: see https://odnature.naturalsciences.be/msfd/nl/assessments/2018/page-d10

The dataset contains the borders of the Belgian marine waters in the North Sea and the different geographical areas (‘reporting units’) used when reporting in the frame of the the Marine Strategy Framework Directive 2008/56/EC (MSFD) and the Water Framework directive 2000/60/EC (WFD). The ecological status in the frame of WFD is reported for the coastal waters, defined as the one-nautical mile area, while the chemical status needs to be reported for the territorial waters (up to 12 nautical miles). MSFD requires information for the whole area, encompassing the territorial waters and the Belgian Exclusive Economic Zone. For some descriptors, results have been reported separately for the WFD subdivisions during the update of the initial assessment in 2018.

The Royal Decree of 22 May 2019 establishing a marine spatial plan defines 20 shipping and ports zones: Shipping regular regime (Art. 10§1), Northbound traffic flow starting at separation line 'Noordhinder Sud' (Art. 10§2.1°), Separation zone 'Noordhinder Sud' (Art. 10§2.1°), Precaution zone 'Near Thornton and Blighbank ' (Art. 10§2.10°), Northbound traffic flow starting at separation zone 'Off Noordhinder' (Art. 10§2.2°), Separation zone 'Off Noordhinder' (Art. 10§2.2°), Southbound traffic flow starting at separation line 'Off Noordhinder' (Art. 10§2.2°), Precaution zone 'Noordhinder Jonction' (Art. 10§2.3°), Eastbound traffic flow starting at separation line 'At West Hinder' (Art. 10§2.4°), Eastbound traffic flow starting at separation zone 'At West Hinder' (Art. 10§2.4°), Precaution zone 'At West Hinder ' (Art. 10§2.4°), Separation zone 'At West Hinder' (Art. 10§2.4°), Westbound traffic flow starting at separation line 'At West Hinder' (Art. 10§2.4°), Area to be Avoided 'At West Hinder' (Art. 10§2.6°), Deep water route 'Westerschelde approach' (Art. 10§2.7°), Border line 1 of two-way shipping lane 'Westpit' (Art. 10§2.8°), Border line 2 of two-way shipping lane 'Westpit' (Art. 10§2.8°), Precaution zone 'At Gootebank' (Art. 10§2.9°), Anchoring zone 'Oostdyck' (Art. 10§3.1°), Anchoring zone 'Westhinder' (Art. 10§3.2°). It replaces the 2014 Marine Spatial Plan, which is included for completeness. The Royal Decree of 20 March 2014 establishing a marine spatial plan defines in its Art. 9, nine zones with regards to shipping and ports: seven shipping zones (Shipping regular regime, Art. 9 § 1; Shipping route Northhinder South, Art. 9 § 2.1°; Shipping route Northhinder junction, Art. 9 § 2.2°; Shipping route Westhinder, Art. 9 § 2.3°; Shipping route Westhinder precautionary area, Art. 9 § 2.4°; Shipping route Westhinder area to be avoided, Art. 9 § 2.5°; Deep water shipping route Western Scheldt approach, Art. 9 § 2.6°) and two anchorage places (Anchorage place 'Oostdyck', Art. 9 § 4.1° and Anchorage place 'Westhinder', Art. 9 § 4.2°). These zones are made available digitally in the resource described by this metadata document. Please refer to the Belgian official gazette (\"Moniteur belge/Belgisch Staatsblad\") for official reference information.