[Update – the information in this notice has been superseded by more recent notices. The notice remains as part of the historical record of notices issued for this project. Please refer to the most recent notice for an up-to-date record of the notices presently in place for this project. This can be accessed via the project description page here.]
Mariners are advised that following recent survey work along the Western HVDC Link cable route some areas of installed cable have been found to require additional protection. Some remedial rock placement work is due to be carried out in December 2017. The locations of the areas requiring protection are detailed in a Notice to Mariners that can be downloaded here and is summarised below.
Locations
Rock placement work is due to be carried out at 4 locations:-
- Liverpool Bay: in an area extending for 450m, between the points 053°31.649’N 003°33.459’W to 053°31.772’N 003°33.063’W. A notice to mariners advising of exposed cable in this area was issued in October 2017, and this area has been patrolled by a Guard Vessel.
- South of the Isle of Man: two small areas of rock protection will be installed here:-
- Approximately 30m between 053° 53.722’N 004° 28.870’W and 53° 53.722’N 004° 28.846’W
- Approximately 17m between 053° 53.916’N 004° 35.567’W and 53° 53.915’N 004° 35.552’W
- West of the Isle of Man: a bight in the cable covering approximately 20m between 054° 21.597’N 005 14.458’W and 54° 21.593’N 005° 14.456’W
This work is due to commence on the 16th December 2017. A map showing the rock placement locations can be downloaded here.
Vessel details
Details of the vessels involved in these operations, along with their present location can be found on MarineTraffic.com via the links below:-
- Stornes: Rock placement vessel | Call sign PCKX
The vessel will be monitoring VHF Channel 16 throughout the operations.
The vessel involved in this work will be restricted in its ability to manoeuvre and other vessels are reminded to pass at a safe speed and distance. Fishing vessels are advised to remain a safe distance (approximately 1.5 nautical miles) from the area identified in the Notice to Mariners.
Guard vessels
A guard vessel is presently on station in Liverpool Bay and will provide advice to mariners operating in the vicinity until rock protection works are completed in this area.
Notices to Mariners
The Notices to Mariners that are presently in place for this project are:-
- Western HVDC Link: Rock Placement Work, December 2017 – this notice is described above. It was issued on the 13th December 2017 and provides information about rock placement works in Liverpool Bay and the Irish Sea. The Notice to Mariners can be downloaded here .
- Western HVDC Link: Exposed cable, Liverpool Bay – this notice was issued on the 11th October 2017 and provides information about a short length of exposed cable in Liverpool Bay. The Notice to Mariners can be downloaded here.
Earlier notices are all rescinded.