[Please note – owing to equipment and weather problems in October, this survey has been postponed. It is due to resume in 2024. Further notices will be issued in advance. This information is retained here for reference purposes only.]
Mariners are advised that survey work is due to be carried out along the Western HVDC Link cable route by the vessel DSV Curtis Marshall. The work is due to start in October 2023 and to be completed in November. A Notice to Mariners detailing these operations is summarised below and can be downloaded here.
Survey Work
The survey will extend along the full 390km length of the WHVDC cable route, from Hunterston in the Firth of Clyde, through the North Channel, to the west and south of the Isle of Man and then towards the Wirral coast. The location of the survey work is illustrated in a map in the Notice to Mariners that can be downloaded here.
During the survey the vessel DSV Curtis Marshall will carry out a detailed geophysical inspection survey using a multibeam echosounder and side scan sonar data acquisition. The vessel will be mapping a series of parallel lines along sections of the route using this equipment. Marine mammal observations and passive acoustic monitoring will be recorded during these operations.
Survey Route & Timing
The survey will begin at a depth of approximately 20m below CD at each end of the cable, abutting the shallow water surveys that were completed in August of this year. The survey will take place within a working area of +/-100m from the published route. Details of the route can be viewed in more detail and downloaded from the Kingfisher website here.
The operations are due to begin as early as the 2nd October 2023 and could extend until the 5th of November 2023. These dates are subject to weather and sea conditions over this period.
Vessel details
The DSV Curtis Marshall is a 26m survey vessel. It has a red hull and a white superstructure. Information about the vessel, including its current location, can be found at the Marine Traffic website using the link below:-
- DSV Curtis Marshall: Survey vessel | Call sign 2HWN3
The survey vessel will operate on a 24 hour basis. Possible ports of call include Campbeltown, Ardrossan, Holyhead and Liverpool.
The DSV Curtis Marshall will be towing equipment approximately 1000m from its stern. Fishing vessels operating in the area are asked to deploy static fishing gear in a manner that will minimise the risk of entanglement during the survey period.
The vessel involved in this work may be restricted in its ability to manoeuvre and other vessels are reminded to pass at a safe speed and maintain a wide berth of at least 0.5 nautical miles distance.
Vessels operating in the area are asked to contact DSV Curtis Marshall on VHF Channel 16 to obtain information on planned activity and to allow coactivity and cooperation.
Notices to Mariners
Mariners are advised that the survey work on shallow water sections of the cable route were completed in August 2023, and the Notice to Mariners for this is now rescinded.