An update on the survey work being carried out for the proposed WHVDC undersea cable has been issued today, 17th August 2012. A notice to mariners about this work can be downloaded here.
Survey update
A brief summary of progress is presented below.
- Geophysical survey – this work has now been completed by the vessel Granuaile.
- Geotechnical survey – this is due to start on 17th August 2012, from the southern (Wirral) end of the cable route. This survey will be carried out by the vesel Granuaile.
- A detailed survey of the seabed composition will be carried out by taking vibro core samples at intervals along the whole route.
- ROV survey – due to start on 7th September 2012
- A Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) will be used to survey specific targets including cables and pipelines along the whole route.
- Inshore surveys – due to start in August 2012 (Wirral) and first week of September (Ardneil).
- Ardneil: divers will survey the route to a depth of 15m (up to 1.5km offshore) using video, photography, and probes. This survey work will be carried out from the vessel Yorkshire Lady.
- Wirral: the route will be surveyed by a vessel using sonar equipment (single beam, multi beam and sidescan) between depths of 2m and 10m (up to 4km offshore). A 200m wide corridor will be surveyed. This survey work will be carried out by the vessel Remote Sensor.
Vessels
Offshore survey work will be carried out by the vessel ILV Granualie. Inshore survey work in the Wirral area will be carried out by the vessel Remote Sensor. The inshore survey work at Ardneil will be carried out by the vessel Yorkshire Lady.
Details of these vessels, including links to information at MarineTraffic.com is given below. The MarineTraffic.com website allows you to check the current location of these vessels as well as their recent movements.
- Granuaile | Call Sign – EIPT | MMSI 250191000
- Remote Sensor | Details tbc
- Yorkshire Lady | Call sign – EIHR7 | MMSI 250001815
You can view a map showing the current location of these vessels here.
During the survey these vessels may be deploying either underwater survey equipment and/or divers. During these times they will have restricted ability to manoeuvre and other vessels are requested to pass at a safe speed and distance.
The WHVDC Link
The WHVDC Link will be an undersea cable linking Ardneil in the Clyde with the Wirral in north-west England. Details of the project can be found on our website here.
If you have any queries about this project, please contact Jim Andrews, Fisheries Liaison Officer by e-mail or by phone on +44(0)7908-225865.