Following the recent pre-lay grapnel run, Greenlink Interconnector Ltd will be conducting offshore and nearshore operations for its electricity interconnector from Friday 22 March to Sunday 14 April, subject to weather and operational constraints.

Beach-pull operations in the nearshore are to be undertaken within around one nautical mile of Baginbun Beach. The cable lay operations following the beach pull operations, involving divers, will take place along the planned interconnector route from the landfall location at Baginbun Beach towards the middle of the interconnector route.

The operations will be conducted by three survey vessels: the multicat Forth Warrior (callsign 2JHR8), Connector (DP3) (callsign LXEV) and CRC Voyager (callsign MBZZ7).

These vessels carrying out the works will be restricted in their ability to manoeuvre, therefore all other passing vessels are requested to keep a wide berth and pass at minimum speed to reduce vessel wash. The vessels will display the appropriate lights and shapes if applicable (two black spheres and in the middle a black diamond shape, in a vertical line) and will monitor VHF Channel 16 at all times.

Coordinates and a map of the work area as well as contact details can be found in Marine Notice No 16 of 2024 attached below.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, Greenlink Interconnector Ltd is proposing to develop an electricity interconnector to allow for offshore cable installation and burial at a later stage.

A pre-lay grapnel run (PLGR) will be performed along the planned interconnector route to ensure clearance of debris from this Friday 15 March to next Tuesday 19 March, subject to weather and operational constraints.

During the PLGR, a grapnel shall be deployed on the planned cable route and dragged over the seabed. Whenever an increase in tension is recorded or in any case at five-kilometre intervals, the grapnel will be recovered cleaned and inspected. Afterwards, the grapnel will be redeployed to the seabed. The operation will be repeated until the complete route of about 80km has been finished.

The PLGR operations will take place along the planned interconnector route from the landfall location at Baginbun Beach towards the middle of the interconnector route.

Operations will be performed by the Forth Warrior (callsign 2JHR8). The vessel will have the PLGR grapnel deployed on the bow roller.

As the vessel will be restricted in its ability to maneuver, all other vessels operating within this area are requested to keep a wide berth and pass at minimum speed to reduce vessel wash. The vessel will be listening to VHF Channel 16 and can set any other channel as required.

Coordinates and a map of the work area as well as contact details can be found in Marine Notice No 15 of 2024, available to read or download HERE.

The Marine Survey Office (MSO) of the Department of Transport has appointed four companies to the panel as Recognised Security Organisations (Ports) for the period covering 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2028.

These companies appointed as RSOs for the creation of port security assessments, port facility security assessments, port security plans and port facility security plans are as follows:

CMG (Crime Management Group),
Regus House,
Harcourt Road,
Dublin,
D02 HW77
Tel: +353 1 417 4242
Email: [email protected]

Crime Management Services,
Block B, The Crescent Building,
Northwood, Santry,
Dublin D09 C6X8
Tel: +353 1 893 4906
Email: [email protected]

Bureau Veritas Marine and Offshore UK and Ireland
1 & 2, Keel House,
South Shields
NE34 9PY, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0) 191 427 8170
Email: [email protected]

Seaport Services Crann Centre,
Classis, Ovens,
Co Cork P31 TX39
Tel. +353 86 190 1913/+353 87 237 8103
Email: [email protected]

The appointment will cover work as an RSO in relation to both Regulation (EC) No 725/2004 and Directive 2005/65/EC on Port Security.

The Department of Transport has been advised that Greenlink Interconnector Ltd (GIL) is developing an electricity interconnector between the southeast of Ireland, from Great Island in Co Wexford to the southwest of Wales at Pembroke in Pembrokeshire.

To allow the offshore cable to be pulled onshore in a later stage, a shore-based sub-contractor Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCV) has completed drilling and diving operations at the Baginbun Beach landfall site for installation of two high-density polyethylene (HDPE) ducts with a bell mouth. Both pipes are stabilised with six rock bags per pipe.

All operations related to the installation of the HDPE ducts are completed. The HDPE pipes and rock bags will be in place until effective high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cable installation, which is expected to start on Monday 1 April. The dive preparations will start from around Wednesday 20 March.

Coordinates and a diagram of the survey area as well as contact details and more can be found in Marine Notice No 09 of 2024, attached below.

The Department of Transport advises ship owners, ship operators, shipmasters, harbourmasters and ships’ agents of the requirements for passenger ships engaged in the tendering of passengers between the ship and the shore and for the transfer of crew/technicians embarking or disembarking a seagoing vessel at anchor.

Passenger ship tendering operations, like those between a cruise liner and the shore, will normally be permitted in the summer period only and are subject to annual review. All tender vessels must comply with the relevant provisions of the Merchant Shipping Acts.

Full details of the relevant tendering types and requirements can be found in Marine Notice No 08 of 2024, attached below.

The Department of Transport advises that it has re-established a panel of surveyors to conduct surveys of small fishing vessels of less than 15 metres in length, to check for compliance with the department’s Code of Practice for such vessels.

This panel is established until 24 January 2027. Contact details for the panel can be found in Marine Notice No 07 of 2024, attached below.

The Department of Transport has been advised by Geological Survey Ireland (GSI) and the Marine Institute that hydrographic and geophysical survey operations will be undertaken by INFOMAR in the Celtic Sea, Atlantic Ocean, western coastal areas and Irish Sea areas between 1 March and 30 December.

RVs Keary, Geo, Mallet, Galtee and Lir are expected to carry out survey operations in three areas: the Atlantic Ocean, west of Galway and Mayo; an offshore area north-west of Belmullet, Co Mayo and western coastal areas stretching from Galway Bay to Malin Head, Co Donegal; and the Irish Sea adjacent to the Ireland/UK border from east of Co Dublin to east of Co Wexford and in coastal areas of Co Dublin.

Meanwhile, the RV Tom Crean is expected to carry out survey operations in the Celtic Sea, south of the 30-nautical-mile limit, and potentially in the Atlantic Ocean west of Kerry, Clare and Galway west of the 30nm limit between 5 March and 25 November.

This vessel will be towing a magnetometer sensor with a single cable of up to 200 metres in length and a moving vessel profiler cable of variable length up to a maximum of 200 metres.

All vessels will display appropriate lights and markers and will be listening on VHF Channel 16 throughout the course of the survey.

Full details of the surveys, including maps, coordinates and contact details, can be found in Marine Notice No 06 of 2024 attached below.

The Department of Transport has been advised by University College Cork (UCC) that it intends to deploy hydrophones east of the Arklow Bank at four locations, and southwards to 15km off the bank and east of Gorey and Blackwater.

This marine science research aims to describe seasonal and diurnal occurrence of the cetaceans (the order of marine wildlife that comprises whales, dolphins and porpoise) present in the areas.

UCC plans to deploy four moorings with attached hydrophones on the seabed between the dates of Monday 5 and Saturday 17 February, subject to operational and weather constraints. The moorings will be fully recovered after three to four months for maintenance and then redeployed.

The hydrophones will be deployed in four locations in a latitudinal gradient, from east of the turbines at the Arklow Bank to 10km south of the bank, east of Gorey and Blackwater, Co Wexford.

A single vessel will be used for deploy the hydrophones: the Sharpshooter (callsign EI5069). Deployment operations will be conducted during the hours of daylight, during favourable weather conditions.

Throughout operations, the vessel will be displaying the appropriate lights and shapes as required under the COLREGS Rule 27(b). As Sharpshooter will be deploying survey equipment and moorings, the vessel will be restricted in its ability to manoeuvre, therefore all other vessels are requested to leave a wide berth.

Coordinates and a map of the survey areas as well as contact details can be found in Marine Notice No 05 of 2024, attached below.

The first and second legs of this year’s Irish Anglerfish and Megrim Survey (IAMS 2024) will be carried out from Thursday 8 February to Sunday 3 March.

Surveys will be conducted to the West, South-West and South Coasts of Ireland by the Marine Institute in fulfilment of Ireland’s obligations under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).

IAMS is a demersal trawl survey consisting of approximately 110 otter trawls, each of 60 minutes duration, in ICES areas 7b, 7c, 7g, 7h, 7j and 7k.

Fishing in 2024 will take place within a three-nautical-mile radius of the positions indicated in Appendices 1 and 2 of Marine Notice No 03 of 2024, a PDF of which is attached below.

The survey will be conducted by the RV Celtic Explorer (callsign EIGB) which will display appropriate lights and signals. The vessel will be towing a Jackson demersal trawl during fishing operations.

The Marine Institute requests that commercial fishing and other marine operators keep a 3nm radius area around the tow points clear of any gear or apparatus during the survey period.

Further details are included in the Marine Notice below.

The Department of Transport has been notified by Optic Marine that it will carry out works from Wednesday 10 to Friday 22 January off the coast of Ireland north-west of Belmullet, subject to operational and weather constraints.

The subsea surveys with remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), underwater cable repairs, cable recovery with grapnel and buoy operations will be conducted by the cable vessel Cable Vigilance (callsign FMQW).

Regular safety messages will be broadcast on VHF Channel 16 and a buoy will be rigged with white flashing lights.

As the work vessel will be restricted in its ability to manoeuvre during operations, it is requested that all other passing vessels leave a wide berth.

Coordinates and a map of the work area, as well as contact details, can be found in Marine Notice No 1 of 2024 attached below.