# Europe Seas habitats potentially affected by anchoring, Jun. 2020

This vector dataset represents the benthic broad habitat types in Europe seas potentially affected by anchoring.
The anchoring of vessels can produce damages to the seafloor and the loss of the habitat where it happens. It takes place in shallow waters, close to ports, where vessels have to wait for a spot in the port so they can load or offload (since ports have a limited amount of dockage). The anchoring areas allow vessels to safely anchor in protection from bad weather or other circumstances. The type of alterations to the habitats resulting from anchoring depend mainly on the dimensions and type of the anchor, as well as its movement resulting from the movement of the vessel due to currents or waves, which can increase the adverse effects.
The dataset has been prepared in the context of the development of the first European Maritime Transport Environmental Report (to be published as an EMSA-EEA report in 2021).https://sdi.eea.europa.eu/geonetwork/srv/api/records/60b9ba8d-f133-4143-962a-f1edb49d2e60


[More information](https://sdi.eea.europa.eu/catalogue/srv/api/records/60b9ba8d-f133-4143-962a-f1edb49d2e60)
    