4 
BSH Report No. 56 
Scope of this study: the research and development 
project 
The presented study is part of the ongoing research and development project 
“Untersuchung über verölte Seevögel und Strandverölungen (Investigations 
concerning oiled birds and oil contamination on beaches)”, realised by Schles 
wig-Holstein Agency for Coastal Defense, National Park and Marine Conserva 
tion (LKN.SH) and financed by the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency 
(BSH), Hamburg, Germany. 
The project, which started in May 2013 and proceeds until June 2016, 
focusses on the monitoring of drift lines along the German’s North Sea coast 
(Including most of the Friesian Islands and holms) for mineral oil and for oil-de 
rived products (paraffin wax, lubrication oil, etc.). Apart from plastics, all kinds 
of apparently oil-like persistent floaters are Investigated. It can be assumed 
that most of those substances are remnants of tank washing activities from 
commercial vessels. 
Samples Received (2013-today) 
Fig. 1: Monthly load of samples arriving in the laboratory. 
Sample collection Is substantiated through cooperation with a number of 
non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and local institutions on the coast 
which provide the manpower to monitor such a wide-stretched area. 
So far (July 2015), the BSH laboratory received 2750 samples for analysis. The 
variability In the monthly load (see Fig. 1) is mainly due to the activity of the 
sampling personnel and does not necessarily reflect the actual abundance of 
target substances on the coast during this time.