The characterization of the need for offshore multi-use in Belgium highlights the challenge of managing competing interests and maximising the efficient use of limited marine space. Namely, the Belgian part of the North Sea constitutes only 0.5% of the total North Sea area, which is relatively small compared to neighbouring countries. Despite its small size, significant portions of the Belgian North Sea are allocated for various activities: 

• Offshore wind farms
• Nature protection 
• Sand extraction
• Military activities
• Additional areas allocated for fisheries, shipping, aquaculture, scientific zones, ports, cultural heritage, etc.

The overall allocation of space exceeds 100%, indicating that there are overlapping and competing uses for the available marine area. This situation puts pressure on traditional uses such as fishing and shipping, as new emerging activities like offshore wind energy and aquaculture expand. 

The expansion of new activities can potentially impact traditional uses of marine space. For example, fishing activities may face challenges due to restricted access to certain areas or changes in fishing grounds caused by the installation of offshore wind farms or marine protected areas. 

Several multi-use combinations have been considered in the last decade, but most of them are still in the pilot stage and not commercialised.