Work on the installation of the Western HVDC Link undersea cable is due to start on the seashore of the Wirral and in the inshore waters of Liverpool Bay in October 2014. A Notice to Mariners advising of the location and extent of this work is available for download here, and is summarised below.
Shallow water cable installation
The cable laying vessel Atalanti will install and bury the shallow water section of the Western HVDC Cable from the Wirral shore and for about 36km along the cable route. The tug Artemis will assist this operation.
Prior to laying the cable the Artemis will carry out a single Pre-Lay Grapnel Run, and the Atalanti will perform an ROV pre-lay survey along the route in conjunction with this.
When the survey is complete, Atalanti will move towards the Wirral landing point where it will be grounded (approximately 1.1km seaward of the Leasowe sea wall) over the period 5th-14th October 2014. Cable landing operations will then be conducted with the assistance of the support barge Wilcarry 300. Once landing operations are complete, the cable barge Atalanti will start cable lay and burial operations using a towed hydro plough.
The barge Wilcarry 300 is due to be on site from the 1st October 2014. The barge will carry excavators that will uncover the plastic pipes that were installed in 2013 to carry the cable beneath the seawall at Leasowe. Wilcarry 300 will be supported by the service barge Richoula and the crew transfer vessel Jetstar.
The cable will be carried from the beached vessel Atalanti to the start of the plastic pipes using a “rollerway” this will be a temporary structure on the shore, approximately 600m long. The location of the rollerway will be marked by buoys placed 50m either side of it at 100m intervals.
Full details of the proposed route and the vessels engaged in the activity can be downloaded in the Notice to Mariners here.
During cable laying and survey operations the vessels working on the project will have restricted ability to manoeuvre and other vessels are requested to pass at a safe speed and distance.
The call sign for the vessels and a link to their current location (from MarineTraffic.com) is given below:-
The vessels will monitor VHF Channel 16 at all times.
The Western HVDC Link
The Western 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.
Cable laying schedule
Installation of the Western Link cable is due to start in the shallow waters at the southern end of the route in October 2014. The main cable installation campaigns are due to be completed by February 2016.
Further information about the installation schedule and the vessels that will be carrying out this work will be circulated to all interested parties as construction proceeds.
If you have any queries about the Western Link project, please contact Jim Andrews, Fisheries Liaison Officer by e-mail or by phone on +44(0)7908-225865.