Mariners are advised that offshore survey work is due to be carried out along the two high pressure gas interconnector pipelines running between Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man during September and October 2026.
A Notice to Mariners about these operations be downloaded here and is summarised below.
Offshore survey work
The survey vessel N-Sea Pathfinder will be conducting a geophysical ROTV (Remotely Operated Towed Vehicle) survey of the pipelines in waters deeper than 10m below LAT. Locations of the survey extent are provided in the Notice to Mariners which can be downloaded here.
The survey work is due to start on the 29th of September 2026. The survey is due to be completed by the 6th of October 2026. The proposed schedule of the survey work is:-
- Isle of Man Connector and Pipeline Spur: 29th-30th September 2026
- IC2 Pipeline: 30th September – 2nd October 2026
- IC1 Pipeline: 3rd October – 6th October 2026
All dates are subject to sea and weather conditions. Updates on the schedule will be provided as the survey progresses.
A map of the pipeline routes with access to downloadable coordinates is available on the Kingfisher Bulletin website here.
Vessel details
The survey will be carried out by N-Sea Pathfinder, which is an Offshore Support Vessel measuring 61.87m in length and 12.8m beam with a blue and red hull and white superstructure. Information about the location of the survey vessel can be found at the Marine Traffic website using the link below:-
- N-Sea Pathfinder: Offshore Support Vessel | Call Sign PBYN
The survey vessel will be displaying the relevant day shapes and night lights as specified by the International Regulations for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea (“IRPCS”), and will be monitoring VHF Channels 16 and 12.
The vessel involved in this work may be restricted in its ability to manoeuvre and will be towing gear with a large layback (200-500m). Other vessels are kindly requested to pass at a safe speed and maintain a wide berth of at least 1000m distance to ensure safe navigation.
Further details about the survey vessel are given in the Notice to Mariners which can be downloaded here.
Additional information
The two Irish Sea Gas Interconnectors (“IC1” and “IC2”)are operated by Gas Networks Ireland (“GNI”). A map of the GNI gas pipeline network is available here. The two Irish Sea Interconnectors and the Isle of Man Spur were installed between 1992 and 2003.
GNI have produced a High Pressure Subsea Gas Pipeline Awareness leaflet (available here). This leaflet shows the route of the pipelines, describes their structure and presents advice on hazards associated with them.