The Marine Management Organisation has published a statement on 2 November 2026 setting out the reported positions of boulders placed in the Southern North Sea and alerting mariners and the fishing industry to those reports.

The MMO said the information concerns boulders that, according to the report, were deposited by Greenpeace in the Southern North Sea. The organisation advised the fishing industry and other sea users of the reported positions contained in the statement.

The item, published on the UK Government website under the heading "MMO statement: Boulder positions in the Southern North Sea", presents the MMO's communication of the incident rather than additional operational detail. The statement is a notification to relevant sea users and stakeholders that the reported positions exist and should be noted.

The MMO's publication did not, in the factual notes provided for this article, specify exact coordinates, numbers of objects, or the immediate operational response. The organisation's communication as summarised here is limited to advising industry and other sea users of the reported positions.

Who was alerted

The MMO explicitly addressed the fishing industry and other sea users in its statement. That wording indicates the advisory was intended for commercial and recreational operators who may be active in the Southern North Sea, and for those with operational or safety responsibilities at sea.

Nature of the report

The factual summary identifies the deposits as boulders and names Greenpeace as the party reported to have placed them. The MMO's notice, as recorded on the government website, focused on publicising those reported positions rather than describing any legal, environmental or enforcement steps.

This report should be read as a governmental alert about reported positions; it does not substitute for direct navigational guidance or for notices to mariners issued by other authorities. Mariners, vessel operators and fishing skippers remain responsible for consulting the full range of navigational warnings, charts and national notices to mariners relevant to their passage planning.

The MMO statement is presented here as a factual record of the organisation's communication on 2 November 2026. It confirms only that the positions were reported and that the MMO informed relevant sea users of those reports.

For clarity, the advice in the statement was limited to drawing attention to reported positions and did not set out further operational instructions or additional factual detail beyond the existence of the reports. Where precise navigational information is required, operators should consult official navigational channels in accordance with standard practice.

Advised parties

  • Fishing industry
  • Other sea users