First of all, burial at the sea is on the list of the greenest forms of funerals in the here and now. If it is so environmentally, why is it that most people don’t go for this option? Actually, the thing is that this type of burial involves a lot of complexities, such as legal requirements, and other paper work. Given below is some important information as to how you can make arrangements for sea burial.
Legal requirements
Burying at sea involves tons of legal requirements as well. As a respected citizen, you are bound to meet these requirements. In order to bury your loved ones at sea, you need a license. If you want to know how to get a license, you need to get in touch with the Marine Management Organization. Alternatively, you can check out their website to know more.
Paperwork and documentation
Aside from the Death Certificate, you also need to get other documents in order to get a license, such as the Certificate that specifies that the dead body is free of fever and infection. Aside from this, you need to get a lot of papers and documents. This is to make sure that the dead body won’t infect the marine environment. After all, we can’t destroy the creatures of the sea.
Ashes at sea
For the sea burials, you need a license. However, you don’t need any license if you want to put the cremated remains into the sea. According to the practical guidelines, you should scatter the ashes in such a way that it won’t cause any harm to the marine environment. Aside from this, it should not cause too much distress to the friends or relatives. For instance, it’s a good idea that you put the ashes in a quality biodegradable container and then put it into the sea. The distance of this spot from the land should be at least 3 nautical miles.
Sea burial sites in the UK
You don’t have many locations for this purpose in the UK. In Britain, you can bury your loved ones at two coastal regions: one is located near the East Sussex and the other is located near the Isle of Wight.
Practical considerations
You need to make sure that the coffins meet the given criteria. For instance, the coffin should not break due to the impact of water waves. Moreover, it should be heavy enough to hit the sea bed. Moreover, if you have caskets that contain cremated ashes, you should get a container that is heavy enough to go down into the sea. Ideally, it should have holes in it so that the sea water could get in.
Costs of a sea burial
Well, the cost of sea burial is twice as much the cost of a regular funeral. According to current estimates, it can cost around $4,000. However, you also need to add additional costs, such as the cost of chartering a boat.
So, this was an introduction to sea burial. If you want to choose this option for the burial of your loved one, you should review this article again.