Mariners are advised that the jack up vessel Wind will be undertaking dismantling work at the Gwynt y Môr met-mast off the North Wales coast during July 2023. A Notice to Mariners about these operations is summarised below and can be downloaded here.
Maintenance operations
The jack up vessel Wind is due to be carrying out dismantling operations including heavy lifting at the Gwynt y Môr Meteorological Mast on the north eastern edge of the windfarm. The location of this mast can be seen on the Kingfisher Awareness Chart here, and coordinates are given below:-
- Met Mast: 053° 28′ 50.63″N 003° 30′ 30.10″W (Alternatively 53°28.844’N 003°30.502’W)
The start date for this work is expected to be the 20th of July 2023 with an expected duration of 7 days. These dates are subject to weather and sea conditions.
Vessel details
Wind is a jack up vessel measuring 55m in length by 18m in width, with a red hull and white superstructure. The vessel details and a link to its present location are given below:-
- Wind: jack up vessel | Call sign OXSW2
When at the specified locations the vessel will be restricted in the ability to manoeuvre and will exhibit signals in accordance with the UK Standard Marking Schedule for Offshore Installations.
Other vessels are asked to observe a 500m exclusion zone at all times and to gain permission from the vessel before approaching within the 500m zone.
The vessel will monitor VHF Channel 16 at all times.
Details of this work are specified in the Notice to Mariners that can be downloaded here.
Notices to Mariners
Mariners are advised that the following Notices to Mariners have been issued for the Gwynt y Môr windfarm and export cable and remain current:-
- Gwynt y Môr offshore windfarm: risk of cable exposure – this notice was issued in September 2021. It advises mariners that there are areas where cables may be exposed within the windfarm array, and that these areas are subject to change in response to tidal and weather effects on the seabed. The information in this notice, as well as links to advice on fishing near cables and renewable energy structures and links to the cable array map for the windfarm can be accessed here.
- Blade maintenance operations, April-September 2023 – turbine blade maintenance operations that are being carried out within the Gwynt y Môr Offshore Wind Farm off the North Wales coast by technicians working from the vessel NR Panther from April – September 2023. Updates on progress are being issued regularly. The most recent can be accessed here.
Please contact Jim Andrews, Fishery Liaison Officer by e-mail or phone (+44(0)7908-225865) if you have any queries or concerns about this notice.