In October 2013 cable burial trials are due to be carried out at 7 locations in the Irish Sea. These trials are being carried out in preparation for installation of the Western Link cable. A Notice to Mariners advising of the location and extent of these trials is available for download here, and is summarised below.
Cable Burial Trials
The cable burial trials will involve the use of a towed cable plough at seven different locations between the North Channel and Liverpool Bay. The locations of all seven sites are given in the table below. These trials are due to begin on 1st October 2013 and to be completed by the end of October 2013 (all dates weather dependent).
At each location the plough will be towed for a short distance (no more than a few hundred metres). The seabed shall be inspected after the ploughing trials to determine how the plough has performed.
At Location 5 in Liverpool Bay a short length of cable (150m long) will be buried under the seabed by the plough. The effectiveness of cable burial will be evaluated and the cable will then be recovered from the seabed for inspection.
|
Location |
Start Point (Northernmost) |
Finish Point (Southernmost) |
|
1 |
55° 0.306’ N 005° 31.105’ W |
55° 0.207’ N 005° 31.179’ W |
|
2 |
54° 51.549’ N 005° 30.062’ W |
54° 51.442’ N 005° 30.041’ W |
|
3 |
54° 29.441’ N 005° 12.966’ W |
54° 29.643’ N 005° 12.405’ W |
|
4 |
53° 51.197’ N 004° 10.381’ W |
53° 51.162’ N 004° 10.021’ W |
|
5* |
53° 48.407’ N 003° 53.869’ W |
53° 48.373’ N 003° 53.745’ W |
|
6 |
53° 46.577’ N 003° 49.124’ W |
53° 46.440’ N 003° 48.977’ W |
|
7 |
53° 34.561’ N 003° 38.387’ W |
53° 34.467’ N 003° 38.297’ W |
* A short length of cable will be buried at location 5 and later recovered for inspection.
At all locations the seabed will be surveyed following the trials to confirm that no obstacles or obstructions are left after completion of the work.
These operations will be carried out by Deep Ocean using the Maersk Assister supply vessel. The call sign for the Maersk Assister and a link to the vessel’s current location from MarineTraffic.com are given below:-
- Maersk Assister: supply vessel | Call sign OYUJ2
At times during the trials the Maersk Assister may be deploying underwater equipment and will thus have restricted ability to manoeuvre. Vessels are requested to pass at a safe distance.
The vessel will monitor VHF Channel 16 at all times.
Further information about these operations is given in the Notice to Mariners that can be downloaded here.
The Western 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 April 2014. The main cable installation campaigns are due to start in August 2014. The outline schedule is:-
- Inshore section (up to 37km from Wirral): April-May 2014
- Southern Sections (37-153km from Wirral): August 2014 – January 2015
- Northern Sections (from Ardneil to 120km): April – August 2015
- Middle Sections (linking the Northern & Southern sections): October 2015 – 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.
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.