Background<\/b><\/h4>\n
The Schutzgemeinschaft Deutsche Nordseek\u00fcste e.V. (SDN)<\/b> is a supra-regional and non-profit environmental protection umbrella organisation that was founded in 1973 in response to extensive pollution of the North Sea. Since then, the organisation has been committed to the protection of the North Sea as a living, economic and natural environment in a professional and cross-party manner. It serves around 200 municipalities, administrative districts, nature conservation organisations, institutes, associations and individual members as a mouthpiece for the public as well as the ministerial administrations and parliaments of the federal government and the four North Sea coastal states. The common goal is to protect the unique features and beauty of the North Sea, the Wadden Sea and the neighbouring coastline from harmful human intervention and to find solutions to North Sea conservation problems.<\/p>\n
Some of the measures of recent decades in which the SDN has represented the interests of the coast as a lobby organisation and which are now considered to have been largely dealt with are the dumping of dilute acid, waste and sewage sludge, the emergency towing concept, antifouling, air monitoring, ballast water, tank cleaning, MARPOL I to IV and the acquisition of modern emergency tugs for the North Sea and Baltic Sea, as is currently the case for the Lower Elbe.<\/p>\n