Monday, 10 February 2014

River Thames

Police have declared a 'major incident' in east Berkshire as the Environment Agency issues 14 severe flood warnings
Flooded homes along the River Thames are being evacuated and thousands more are at risk, with water levels expected to rise further over the next 24 hours.
Residents in one Berkshire village say the scenes are from a "horror movie".
Fourteen severe flood warnings are in place in Berkshire and Surrey, while two remain in Somerset.
PM David Cameron - who is in flood-hit Dorset - said it was not the time to change personnel amid criticism of Environment Agency head Lord Smith.
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles is answering an urgent question put by Labour in the Commons on the flooding crisis.
Homes in the Berkshire village of Datchet are underwater and thousands more along the lower River Thames, as far as Shepperton, are under threat.
Several Thames gauges are showing their highest levels since being installed in the 1980s and 90s.
At the heart of this blame game is the difficult question of who gets defended and who does not.
The blunt truth is the budget has never been big enough to help everyone, so awkward decisions have to be made. The priority is to save people and property.
Calculations are done to assess the value of any flood defence scheme. First, the cost must be outweighed by the benefit - the Treasury insists every pound spent must yield at least eight in economic gain. Second, you add up households at risk and third, you count up deprived households. In all these cases, urban areas are likely to score highest. Farmland is lower in the pecking order.
There are bound to be winners and losers. If the future becomes stormier, and more people are at risk, disputes will become more contentious. And this raises the hardest question of all: how much should we all pay to keep vulnerable areas dry?
Fire crews, who have been rescuing people from their homes in Staines, say they have never known waters so deep or a flood rescue operation on this scale.
In Windsor, Councillor Colin Rayner pleaded for the police and Army for help.
"We've got 50 volunteers here, we've got the vulnerable people out of their homes, now we need to get everyone else out," he said
Nearby, in the Berkshire village of Colnbrook, resident Asif Khan said his whole street was under water, his house was flooded and his fridge "just went bang".
"It's something out of a horror movie," he said, adding that he was now about to try to evacuate with his two small children.
Hurst village resident Paul Palmer said sewers there were blocked and they have been unable to use the toilet since Friday.
"It's starting to back up into the toilet - it's like going back to the dark ages," he told the BBC.
Berkshire fire and rescue crews rescue  residents whose houses have been flooded in Staines-upon-ThamesStranded residents in Staines-upon-Thames are rescued by fire crews
A man struggles to cycle in the flood at DatchetA total of 10,000 sandbags have been distributed in Datchet in Berkshire
Swans on South Parade in WorcesterSwans wander down a flooded street in Worcester
Speaking from Portland, off the Dorset coast, Mr Cameron said: "I am only interested in one thing and that is making sure that everything government can do is being done and will go on being done to help people through this difficult time.
"There will be time later on to talk about things. Right now everybody's got to focus on the job in hand."
Mr Cameron's comments follow a deepening political row.
Speaking earlier, Lord Smith said his staff knew "100 times" more about flooding than any politician and pointed out that they were bound by rules laid down by government.
He has insisted again he will not resign.
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles previously said ministers had been given bad advice by the Environment Agency over river dredging.
Meanwhile, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson and Mr Pickles are thought to be at odds over the performance of the Environment Agency.
No 10 did not deny Mr Paterson had complained about his colleague, who is standing in for him after he had an eye operation, but said both were doing an "excellent job".
Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who was in Burrowbridge in Somerset, said dredging should have been done over the last few years but added: "I don't think now is the time to point the finger of blame."
Among other developments:
  • Environment Agency has issued 14 severe warnings - meaning "danger to life" - along the River Thames, in areas including Staines, Chertsey and Datchet
  • Two severe warnings are in place for the south-west of England in Salt Moor and East Lyng, in Somerset
  • Large parts of Worcester city centre could be closed for a weekbecause of flooding, the county council has said. Twenty-nine flood warnings remain in place across Herefordshire and Worcestershire
  • An earth bank has been built to protect the town of Bridgwater, on the edge of the Somerset Levels, from flooding
  • Dyfed Powys police have found a body in their search for a kayaker who went missing on the River Usk on Sunday
  • A meeting of the emergency Cobra committee will take place later. Mr Cameron will take part by phone from the South West.
  • Essex County Council says it is releasing £1m of emergency funds to tackle road flooding across the county
Map showing flood warnings and alerts in place along the river Thames
Major incident
Thames Valley Police have declared a "major incident" in east Berkshire.
Howard Davidson, from the Environment Agency said he expects conditions in Berkshire to deteriorate as more rain falls over the coming days.
"We have issued flood warnings from Datchet down to Shepperton, and we urge people to take heed of the flood warnings. We are anticipating another three or four inches on the Thames over the next 24 hours."

Weather information

Flooding at Burrowbridge on the Somerset Levels
Severe delays
The flooding has also caused severe delays on several train lines, National Rail said.
Robin Gisby, managing director of Network Rail, said his team were watching "several hundred" sites across England carefully.

Analysis

It's certain to infuriate those residents affected by flooding - but the floods crisis now appears to have developed into an ugly 'blame game' among the politicians.
First Communities Secretary Eric Pickles pointed at the Environment Agency and its boss Chris Smith, suggesting he should consider his position and accusing the agency of "misjudgements."
Now Lord Smith has hit back saying his staff know one hundred times more about floods than any politician and accusing ministers of "playing politics".
At the same time, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson has protested to the prime minister over Mr Pickles' bruising criticism of the Environment Agency.
No wonder then that this morning Energy Secretary Ed Davey publicly appealed for an end to the blame game.
What does it tell us? That the floods crisis has all the potential to turn into a serious political crisis - hence the reason politicians are already taking sides.
"What I think is really significant, and it has got worse overnight, is Oxford down to the Thames Valley through Didcot, Reading, Maidenhead and into Paddington.
"This isn't now just flooding, this is groundwater. The land is so saturated we have got water rising up, just as much as flowing on to it. So it is difficult."
The main rail route into Devon and Cornwall via Bridgwater remains cut off because of problems caused by flooding and storm damage.
The line from Paddington to Exeter via Newbury is expected to reopen later following a drop in flood water levels at Athelney.
The line from Waterloo to Exeter via Yeovil, closed due to a landslip at Crewkerne on Saturday, has reopened.
More than 300 less serious warnings and alerts have been issued by the Environment Agency, mostly in southern England and the Midlands.
The Met Office has no rain warnings in place for Monday, but it is warning of ice across much of the UK.
But forecasters say another area of low pressure is expected to reach the UK on Monday night and into Tuesday, bringing more heavy rain.
Peter Sloss, of the BBC Weather Centre, said Monday would be the "driest day of the week" but he warned there would be 20-40mm (1-2in) of rain for many areas by the end of Thursday.
He said some showers would be wintry, with snow likely on higher ground in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England.
A flooded River Thames at Staines, SurreySome residents in Staines, which borders the River Thames, were woken by telephone flood alerts
Sandbags stacked up in Burrowbridge, SomersetIn Burrowbridge, Somerset, sandbags are stacked up ready for use
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is interviewed by the media next to the flooding sites at Burrowbridge, SomersetDeputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg fields questions from reporters nearby in Burrowbridge
The floods at Datchet move across rail linesRail services have been cancelled in parts of Surrey and Berkshire

Friday, 7 February 2014

Water Level Management Action Plan

The Somerset Levels and Moors project has
focussed on the Parrett Catchment, which
represents half of this area of highly engineered
floodplain. The area has a long history of
conflict between stakeholders and a number of
new challenges. As a result, the Wise Use of
Floodplains project (WUF) has targeted
creating a new consensus on how water is to be
managed, in particular looking at new ways to
achieve sustainable benefits for all stakeholders.
The project has worked very closely with the
Parrett Catchment Project (PCP), aiming to
encourage integrated catchment management,
and the Water Level Management Action Plan
(WLMAP), Environment Agency strategy for
the day-to-day management of water in the

Levels and Moors.

Somerset Levels and Moors Stakeholders
 Environment Agency
 English Nature
 RSPB
 Somerset County Council
 Levels & Moors Partnership (LAMP)

The project aims:
 to demonstrate methods to appraise the economic,
social and environmental effects of flood and coastal
plain wetland restoration and management options
 to determine how European and national policies might
need to change to facilitate the restoration of flood and
coastal plain wetlands
 to facilitate ‘on the ground’ floodplain restoration
across Europe through dissemination of guidelines and
project results

.The Parrett Catchment
The Parrett Catchment is the largest river system in
Somerset, covering 50% of the county and containing five
major rivers: the Parrett, Isle,Tone,Yeo and Cary.

The area is predominantly rural with 70% grassland and
30% arable (cereals and forage maize).The Levels & Moors
covers 64,000 ha and is the most important remaining
lowland wet grassland in England. It is a unique cultural
landscape with farmland criss-crossed by numerous ditches,
and its communities are located on ridges and ‘islands’ of
higher ground.The Levels are a coastal barrier of marine
clays, which lie about 6 m above mean sea level. In contrast,
the Moors are inland and ground levels can be as much as 
6 m below peak tide levels.The Moors are prone to
frequent flooding and act as temporary reservoirs during
large flood events.About 10% of the area is designated as a
wetland of outstanding ecological importance in a European
context (a Special Protection Area).
The Somerset issues and focus
The new challenges for Somerset include recent severe
floods and the general crisis in agriculture, exacerbated by
global warming and sea level rise.There is also a drive to
sustainable development and integrated rural development,
as well as new legislation emerging from Europe, such as the
Water Framework Directive.All of these factors affect the
area in different ways.Add in the various interests of all the
stakeholders and the urgent need for an integrated
approach to sustainable water management is evident.
The project has generated the best debate on water
management in 30 years, creating a new consensus
between conservation, farming, drainage and rural
community views. Settlements and strategic assets must
be protected from flooding while securing a farmed
freshwater wetland environment that restores and
maintains biodiversity.
The project area looked at the common ground amongst
stakeholders:
 Deep, prolonged floods benefit no-one.
 Whole sectors benefit from better flood management.
 Wetland habitats should be protected from tidal
inundation.
 A combined approach is needed as no single solution
will work.Contacts and Further information:
The Wise Use of Floodplains project is a trans-national partnership, in six project areas
throughout England, Scotland, Ireland and France.The objective of the project is to
demonstrate how floodplain wetlands could contribute to the sustainable management
of water resources within river basins. It highlights the importance of organisations and
communities working together to create a holistic and sustainable approach to the
management of water at catchment level and an important aim is to assist Member
States on the implementation of the Water Framework Directive. For further
information, please refer to the ‘Wise Use of Floodplains Overall Guidance Note’.
For further information regarding this project, please refer to the sponsoring 
partners and organisations listed below:
Agence de l’Eau www.eaufrance.com
Birdwatch Ireland www.birdwatchireland.ie
Centre for Ecology and Hydrology www.nwl.ac.uk/ih
English Nature www.english-nature.org.uk 
Environment and Heritage Service www.nics.gov.uk/ehs
Environment Agency www.environment-agency.gov.uk
Institution Interdepartmentale pour l’AmĆ©nagement du Fleuve Charente
LPO www.lpo-birdlife.asso.fr
MinistĆØre de l’AmĆ©nagement du Territoire et de l’Environnement
www.environnement.gouv.fr
Conseil Regionale de Poitou Garonne
Rivers Agency www.dardnt.gov.uk
RSPB www.rspb.org.uk
SEPA www.sepa.org.uk
SNIFFER www.sniffer.org.uk
Thames Water www.thameswater.co.uk
WWF www.panda.org/europe/freshwater
Disclaimer:
The project wishes to stimulate debate on the wise use of floodplains. However, the
views expressed in this document do not necessarily reflect the opinion of all the
Wise Use of Floodplain partner organisations.
Wise Use of Floodplains technical reports:
Hydrological Impact Assessment: Modelling the impacts of floodplain restoration
Participatory Processes: A tool to assist the wise use of catchments.
Policy Analysis:Analysing Barriers to Change: A tool to assist river basin planning
Options Appraisal: Lessons for floodplain appraisal
Further publications available from website or on CD 
from partner organisations:
Beneficial use of floodplains: Identification of appraisal techniques (RPA)
Participatory techniques for land use planning – a review (Mark Toogood)
Identification of techniques for appraisal of floodplain wetlands (RSPB)
Analysing barriers to change methodology (WUF)
A review of twelve WWF river restoration projects across Europe
(Christoph Zockler)
Policy and economic analysis of floodplain restoration in Europe – Opportunities
and obstacles (Tim Jones)
Hydrological model scoping study (CEH)
Cherwell catchment restoration scenarios (University of Southampton)
Hydrology guideline: Summary report to modelling the impacts of floodplain restoration
For further information, please visit www.floodplains.org or refer to the partner
organisations listed above.

Water Framework Directive

WFD CIS Guidance Document No.8
Public participation in relation to the Water Framework Directive
6. DEFRA Stakeholder Sounding Board, England 
Key- words
National stakeholder involvement.
Aim/objective of the project
The terms of reference for the Stakeholder Sounding Board says that it is a forum for 
stakeholders to: 
x provide input to DEFRA (Department for Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs) thinking 
on transposition, and related policy issues, of theWater Framework Directive (WFD);
x raise issues relating to the WFD of concern to the group; 
x provide input into development of a long-term strategy for the environmental quality of 
water - what it should cover, in what detail, risks and opportunities. 
Scale/unit of planning 
National – the Stakeholder Sounding Board considers WFD-related issues for the whole of
England. To date, no similar groups have been established in Scotland, Wales or Northern
Ireland.
Period
The Stakeholder Sounding Board was established in early 2001 after a request from a group 
of stakeholder organisations (including WWF-UK). There is no fixed timescale for the 
group’s existence.
Who participated and how (Degree/form of public participation) in what phase of the 
planning?
The organisations represented on the Stakeholder Sounding Board are: 
Government
DEFRA (Department for Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs)
Statutory agencies
Environment Agency (the government’s statutory agency for environmental protection in 
England and Wales) 
English Nature (the government’s statutory advisor on, and agency for, nature protection in 
England)
Private sector
Confederation of British Industry (CBI) 
Chemical Industries Association (CIA) 
Crop Protection Association (CPA) 
Country Land and Business Association (CLA) 
National Farmers’ Union (NFU) 
Water UK (the trade association for UK water companies and water authorities)
118WFD CIS Guidance Document No.8
Public participation in relation to the Water Framework Directive
NGOs
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) 
WWF-UK
Other stakeholders
UK Centre for Economic and Environmental Development (UKCEED) 
Office of the National Consumer Council (ONCC)
Participation takes the form of regular meetings (approximately 3 or 4 a year), hosted in turn 
by different stakeholder Sounding Board members. The meetings are chaired by a senior
official from DEFRA. DEFRA also undertakes a secretariat function. 
Major input of stakeholders
Individual stakeholder organisations, or small groups of stakeholder organisations, can flag 
up issues for discussion. They are then invited by the Stakeholder Sounding Board to 
prepare a paper on the issue. The paper is discussed at subsequent meetings. 
DEFRA may also raise agenda items. 
Thus, WWF and UKCEED have prepared a paper on public participation; the RSPB and
others have prepared a paper on Wetlands and the Water Framework Directive; the RSPB,
WWF, Water UK and the NFU are currently preparing a paper on diffuse pollution.
Outstanding issues 
It is not clear what status these papers have within the government. Although the papers
include recommendations for action by government and other stakeholders, DEFRA have 
not made clear whether they will act on those recommendations, even if all stakeholder 
organisations agree with them. 
The relationship between the Stakeholder Sounding Board and the UK government’s internal 
technical advisory group on implementing the WFD has yet to be clarified. 
Lessons learnt 
A national forum that allows stakeholders to input directly into policy thinking is genuinely 
useful. It allows direct access to government officials and provides a mechanism by which 
government can assess the most important issues. For relatively little cost and effort this 
enhances the traditional methods of consultation and individual meetings with each
stakeholder organisation.
However, it is important that there is full transparency so that stakeholder organisations can
see how their ideas and concerns are considered and acted on (or not) by the Government.
At the moment, we are still working on this in the Stakeholder Sounding Board. 
For more information contact:
WWF UK, David Tickner, DTickner@wwf.org.uk
119WFD CIS Guidance Document No.8
Public participation in relation to the Water Framework Directive
7. The Wise Use of Floodplains Project in Somerset, England 
Our work was made possible through the award of a 50% grant from the EU LIFE Environment Fund
programme.
Inspiration points – this example is inspiring because:
In partnership with other initiatives this project facilitated a creative and positive dialogue
on the future management of flood events in a catchment, where previously stakeholder
views had been polarised for decades to the extent where the conflict had become notorious
in national environmental circles. 
Aim/objective of the project
The WUF Project’s aim was to encourage the wise use of water resources in river catchments
to benefit, people, their livelihoods and their environment. We set out to achieve this by: 
1. Generating new options for the sustainable management of flood events across the
catchment and annual water levels on the floodplain;
2. Testing public participation methods to find out what were the economic, social and
environmental costs and benefits of different options for managing flood events and
floodplain water levels.
The project, through its participatory approach helped to find out how the policies of the
government and European Union needed to be changed to promote sustainable management
of the catchment and its floodplain. Findings were passed to managers of river catchments
across Europe to enable their governments to implement the WFD. 
Scale/unit of planning 
The River Parrett Catchment in the county of Somerset, South West England. It is the largest
river system in Somerset covering 1665 km2, about half of the county area and containing
five major rivers: the Parrett, Isle, Tone, Yeo and Cary. The floodplain forms a significant
part of the Somerset Levels & Moors: - an area of international importance for wildlife.
Period: January 2000 – March 2002
Objective of Public Participation (Why PP?) 
In Somerset, the WUF Project developed new ways of helping stakeholders in the River
Parrett Catchment to find sustainable solutions through participation for the management of
water, both in flood events and throughout the year.
Who participated and how (Degree/form of public participation) in what phase of the 
planning?
The Project sought to involve “stakeholders” - anyone or any organisation, at whatever level,
with an interest in the management of water resources in the Parrett Catchment. Above all, it 
offered an opportunity for local concerns to be heard. Since the first participatory workshops
120
WFD CIS Guidance Document No.8
Public participation in relation to the Water Framework Directive
started in 2000, a wide range of representatives of communities, local interests and 
organisations ranging from local to national government-level were involved. 
Methods and tools applied 
The WUF Project responded to what communities and individuals wanted. Working closely 
with an existing and (in the United Kingdom) unique forum for local democracy, the Levels 
& Moors Partnership*, we held participatory workshops to encourage stakeholders to share 
views and address problems in partnership. Workshops were managed through facilitative 
leadership: with the help of group management techniques, stakeholders were helped to 
work together in a non-conflict environment. The WUF Project Officer was the facilitator for
all participatory workshops. Contextual information such as new research on the
effectiveness of present flood management practices was introduced to help all stakeholders
to develop a common understanding of issues. 
Participatory working has to be product-orientated to be worthwhile. If a process is not
guided by the need to reach a common goal then it will drift and is unlikely to achieve 
results.
Stakeholders came to agree that no one solution would solve the problems of flood and 
water management, but that a comprehensive package of measures was needed. Facilitated
dialogue provided the bridge to enable a wide variety of interests to work jointly towards a 
common goal. 
To reach the desired goal of integrated flood and water management, a variety of solutions 
were generated in a series of participatory workshops. These solutions were built into a 
Parrett Catchment Action Strategy, which sets out what community and organisational
stakeholders wanted to be achieved by 2050”.
As collaborative working developed between local initiatives, the WUF Project and LAMP
managed participatory workshops under an umbrella initiative, the Parrett Catchment
Project.
It is estimated that the approximate cost of facilitating the dialogue over two years is 
approximately €30,000.00 (salary costs of project officer/facilitator). Workshop costs were
additional but low at approximately €150 – 180 for each event (hire of the venue and catering 
for around 40 participants). The overall cost is difficult to estimate accurately, because staff
from a variety of organisations donated their time to the initiatives involved. For the LIFE 
Project, the budget used to commission new research in Somerset was approximately
€75,000.00 and partnership organisations provided around €36,000 of in-kind time in support 
of the Wise Use of Floodplains Project. (Note: all of these figures are provisional.) In 
conclusion, the total cost of facilitating such a complex dialogue over a two-year period was 
remarkably low and the gains are far greater than the financial investment.
*LAMP serves 86 parish councils with wetland habitats on the Somerset Levels & Moors, 
who in turn represent all local community and organisational interests.
Major input of stakeholders at participatory events 
We invited 85 representatives of local communities and organisations to our workshops and
regularly saw 30 – 40 people at each event. The organisations ranged from the major

121
WFD CIS Guidance Document No.8
Public participation in relation to the Water Framework Directive
government agencies to single-issue lobby groups. It was the first time in Somerset that
participatory working had taken place on such a scale.
Tangible result (effect) of PP? 
A series of 27 facilitated participatory workshops, which began in May 2000, produced: 
x A statement of the consensus between all stakeholder interests, which forms the
basis for a vision for the future management of the catchment and floodplain; 
x Eleven “components” or potential solutions to manage flood events, a 
combination of which will make up an Integrated Flood Management approach; 
x A detailed analysis of the policy, funding, administrative and technical barriers
and opportunities involving implementation of the eleven components; 
x Appraisal of the social, economic and environmental costs and benefits of each of 
the components; 
x Enhanced understanding among stakeholders of the implications of the
conservation management objectives necessary to achieve “favourable condition”
of the Special Protection Area (Birds Directive); 
x Initiated a productive dialogue on finding a new balance between agriculture and 
environmental interests to achieve favourable condition of the Special Protection
Area and Ramsar sites, while helping agriculture and other rural industries to 
work towards sustainable management of an internationally important wetland; 
x Produced practical sustainability indicators to monitor the effectiveness of 
changes in water and land management.
Many of these outcomes are continuing to be implemented beyond the end of the Life Project
and are resulting in practical land management and integrated catchment management for
the area. 
Lessons learnt 
Positive Lessons
x Make dialogue relevant to people’s lives.
In Somerset the project centred on a major environmental issue that affected a wide range of
stakeholders.
x Dialogue should be gradual and often.
Frequent small-scale dialogue is better than big one-off events. More flexible processes are
better at accommodating changes in views and developing consensus. Continuing dialogue 
is better at establishing and maintaining trust and helps to manage participants’ expectations 
of outcomes more realistically. 
x Maintain the momentum of the process.

122
WFD CIS Guidance Document No.8
Public participation in relation to the Water Framework Directive
Ensure that the next stage in the participatory process can move on from the last one. Discuss
issues, generate solutions, appraise them, test them for sustainability and evaluate their
effectiveness once implemented.
x Create trust through impartiality.
This was critical to the success of the process in Somerset. It was the first time that water
management had been discussed in a neutral public forum. The WUF Project existed
between its sponsoring organisations (the LIFE Project partners): it was not seen as part of 
them. The role of the WUF project officer as an impartial facilitator gave stakeholders 
confidence that that they were taking part in a truly participative process and independent
process.
x Work to invest time. 
Constantly remind participants or potential participants of the need to invest time: without 
commitment the energy of the process will dissipate. Participants have been very committed 
to the Somerset process: thirty to forty key stakeholder representatives regularly attended
workshops.
Negative Lessons:
x Expensive one-off events can bring dialogue to a halt by delivering a “verdict” and may
not be appropriate in making progress on a particular issue in a particular context;
x Don’t become a discussion forum without a purpose – manage expectation;
x Avoid any one organisation leading a process so that the process does not have the
necessary impartiality needed to create trust amongst stakeholders.
Contacts for further information:
Barry Phillips, Rural Environmental Facilitation Service, b.phillips@tiscali.co.uk,
+44 (01934) 713864
See also www.floodplains.org

123http://www.floodplains.org/pdf/area_case_studies/SomersetLevelsCaseStudy.pdf

Friday, 4 October 2013

Dutch take legal action over Greenpeace ship in Russia

Dutch take legal action over Greenpeace ship in Russia

The group was arrested last month over a protest on an Arctic oil rig owned by Gazprom

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The Netherlands has launched legal action to free 30 Greenpeace activists charged in Russia with piracy.
The group was arrested last month over a protest on an Arctic oil rig owned by state-controlled firm Gazprom.
Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans said he was also acting to free the Dutch-flagged Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise.
Greenpeace calls the charges against the activists, who include two Dutch citizens, "irrational, absurd and an outrage".
Mr Timmermans said the Netherlands had applied to the UN's Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, which resolves maritime disputes between states.
He said his country, the first nation to take legal action in the case, viewed the ship's detention as unlawful.
Under the rules of the Hamburg-based Tribunal, the Netherlands may apply for the immediate release of the ship and those on board.
"I really want to consult with my Russian colleagues... to get these people freed as soon as possible," Mr Timmermans said, according to Associated Press.
"I don't understand why this could be thought to have anything to do with piracy; I don't see how you could think of any legal grounds for that."
'Group piracy' The BBC's Anne Holligan in The Hague says the dispute threatens to test the strong diplomatic ties between Russia and the Netherlands.
Citizens of 17 other countries, reported to include Britain, France, Canada and New Zealand, were also among those arrested and detained in the Russian city of Murmansk.
The group was seized during a skirmish with armed Russian security officers after several activists tried to board the Prirazlomnaya platform, Russia's first offshore oil rig in the Arctic.
They were later charged with "piracy of an organised group".
Greenpeace's international executive director, Kumi Naidoo, said earlier this week the charges were "extreme and disproportionate".
The Russian government has not commented on the Dutch legal action. President Vladimir Putin has said the environmental activists broke international law, although he has conceded they were not pirates.
Mikhail Fedotov, who heads the presidential council for human rights advisory body, said on Thursday he did not think there were "the slightest grounds" for a piracy charge.
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