Mariners are advised that on the 21st July 2014, two long plastic pipes are due to be towed to Southannan Sands in the Firth of Clyde, and subsequently moved to Ardneil Bay for installation during August and September. A Notice to Mariners about these operations can be downloaded here and is summarised below.
Arrival and storage of pipes
The tug Thor Goliath is due to arrive on the 21st July 2014 towing two long plastic pipes from Norway. These pipes are 620m long and 0.45m in diameter. They will be handed over to a local vessel and anchored south of Hunterston Jetty on the NW edge of Southannan Sands. The NE and SW extremities of the pipes are:-
- North East point: 55 ̊ 44’ 58’’ N 4 ̊ 52’ 38’’ W
- South West point: 55 ̊ 44’ 37’’ N 4 ̊ 53’ 19’’ W
The pipes are painted front end and tail and every 50m in between with a 0.5m wide yellow “ribbon” of radar reflecting yellow paint. The storage location is shown in the Notice to Mariners (here ).
Installation of pipes
One pipe will be taken to Ardneil Bay for installation in mid-August while the second pipe will be installed late August/early September. The pipes will be towed from Hunterston to Ardneil Bay using a local vessel Challenger of Leith and the Jetstar.
Prior to the transfer of the pipes from Hunterston a work barge, the LM Constructor will be mobilised to Ardrossan then anchored in Ardneil Bay. The LM Constructor’s tow tug is the Voe Chief. The location of the LM Constructor during the installation work is illustrated in the Notice to Mariners (here ).
Each pipe will be positioned alongside the LM Constructor prior to being installed into pre-drilled boreholes from Ardneil Bay to an onshore position landwards of West Kilbride Golf Course. The LM Constructor will demobilise to Ardrossan between the two pipe installation times and during periods of bad weather. The pipes will be monitored by a local vessel Challenger of Leith.
Please note that installation dates are approximate and could be affected by project progress and weather conditions.
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:-
- Thor Goliath: Tug | Call sign OZ2034
- Challenger of Leith: Tug | Call sign 2AAD3
- Jetstar: Tug | Call sign MKFU5
- LM Constructor: work barge | Call sign MHUJ2
- Voe Chief: Tug | Call sign 2CRL5
Vessels will be monitoring VHF Channel 12 throughout the operation.
The vessels involved in this work will be restricted in their ability to manoeuvre and other vessels are reminded to navigate with caution in their vicinity and pay strict attention to instructions issued to them by Hunterston Port.
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.