Work on the installation of the Western HVDC Link undersea cable is due to start on the 5th May 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 end for about 36km. The tug Artemis will assist this operation.
Prior to laying the cable the Artemis will carry out a Pre-Lay Grapnel Run, and the Atalanti will perform an ROV pre-lay survey along the route.
When the survey is complete, Atalanti will move towards the Wirral landing point where it will be grounded. Cable landing operations will then be conducted with the assistance of support barge Wilcarry 501. Once landing operations are complete, the cable barge Atalanti will start cable lay and burial operations using a towed hydro plough.
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 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): May – June 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.