Mariners are advised that geotechnical survey work around the proposed Awel y Môr Offshore Wind Farm array will continue until the end of May 2024.
The current Notice to Mariners, including the updated 2 week look ahead notifying you of the locations which works will be focussed over the coming weeks (18th April to 2nd May 2024) can be downloaded here for your continued awareness and coexistence.
Offshore Site Investigations: Summary
The jack-up barge Seafox 7 started geotechnical site investigations on the 16th November 2023. During the survey, Seafox 7 will drill 60 boreholes at discrete locations in the project site. The vessel is operating for 24 hours per day during the survey. The survey area is illustrated in the Notice to Mariners that can be downloaded here and bounded by the coordinates below:-
- NE Marker: 53° 29.460’N 003° 35.220’W
- SE Marker: 53° 29.532’N 003° 44.760’W
- SW Marker: 53° 26.700’N 003° 51.600’W
- NW Marker: 53° 29.280’N 003° 51.600’W
Seafox 7 will be supported by the vessels Elisa and Fairplay 32 in its daily operations, and these vessels will tow the barge between sampling locations. The tugs will standby at anchor on the project site, and will also be transiting between the site and nearby ports.
Vessel details
Seafox 7 is a jack-up barge with a red hull and white superstructure. It measures 55.5m long with a beam of 32.2m. Details for this barge and its support vessels are provided below, including a link to its present location on the MarineTraffic website:-
- Seafox 7: drilling vessel | MMSI 235065812 | Call sign 2BGC6
- Elisa: Support vessel / tug | MMSI 236745000 | Call sign PBZP
- Fairplay 32: Support vessel / tug | MMSI 210447000 | Call sign 5BAM6
Operations will be conducted on a 24 hour basis. A continuous listening watch will be conducted on VHF Channel 16.
Other vessels are requested to keep their distance, maintaining at least a 500m distance. Full details of all of the vessels can be found in the Notice to Mariners that can be downloaded here.
About the proposed windfarm
The Awel y Môr Offshore Wind Farm would be built around six miles off the North Wales coast, to the west of the existing Gwynt y Môr windfarm. Awel y Môr would be connected to the National Grid by an export cable coming ashore between Rhyl and Prestatyn. The proposed windfarm would include up to 50 wind turbines. It could generate enough power for up to half a million homes, and it will be the largest renewable energy investment in Wales in this decade. Full project details and maps of the windfarm location are available at the project website awelymor.cymru.