USV Completes Greater Gabbard Survey
a wind farm in the sea off Suffolk, UK, reportedly marking a first for the offshore wind sector.The XO-450 unmanned surface vessel (USV), owned and operated by XOCEAN, carried out seabed surveys on seven of the turbines at the 140-turbine Greater Gabbard offshore wind farm, located 23 kilometers off the UK coast.The USV is around 4.5 meters long and weighs about 750 kilograms, and can be monitored and controlled 24/7 via a satellite connection by a team at an onshore control center.Throughout the survey, the data collected was monitored from shore in real-time by experts located in the UK, to validate data
World's Largest Wind Turbines Installed off UK Coast
Dong Energy has installed the first of the world's largest wind turbines, which are taller and wider than the London Eye, at its Burbo Bank windfarm off the coast of Britain in the Irish Sea, it said on Thursday. The 32 turbines, made by Vestas, will each be able to generate 8 megawatts (MW) of electricity, stand 195 metres tall from sea level and have a rotor diameter of 164 metres. "This will be the first commercial deployment of the world's largest wind turbines," Benj Sykes, Dong's UK country manager for wind power, told Reuters. Combined, the 32 turbines will
James Fisher Acquires Hughes Sub Surface Engineering
marine civil engineering sectors. The expanded service offering enables customers to achieve further supply chain optimization and reduce contractual interface risks. The combination of assets, resources and locations will support project mobilizations at key strategic locations around the U.K. coast, delivering improved responsiveness and reduced costs, according to James Fisher. Nick Henry, CEO of James Fisher, said, “The operations of Hughes Sub Surface are complementary to those of James Fisher and, combined, they will broaden our range of services to the market, particularly
Thales to Take Key Role in 'Exercise Unmanned Warrior'
together the Royal Navy and 40 organizations from defense, industry and academia in October, representing the largest exercise of its kind. More than 50 vehicles, sensors and systems from across defense and industry will be deployed the Ministry of Defense exercise centered around the U.K. coast of Scotland and West Wales. As an industry leader in autonomous and unmanned systems, Thales will showcase its capability through the Watchkeeper Unmanned Aircraft System, Halcyon Unmanned Surface Vehicle and its collaborative work in the field of unmanned command and control research.
Biological Insights to Help Protect UK Coastline
The first project to investigate the role of biological processes on the future evolution of the UK coastline is expected to produce valuable insights that will shape coastal protection policy. This project, called BLUE-coast, is led by the National Oceanography Center (NOC) alongside nine partner organizations. The research will improve our ability to accurately predict regional sediment budgets on time scales of years to decades. Professor Alejandro Souza from the NOC who is leading the project said “BLUE-coast will help create a step-change in coastal management strategies.” This
Dogger Bank Wind Development Consents Total 4.8GW
;B, submitted to the Planning Inspectorate by Forewind in March 2014. The consent approval of the 2.4 GW Dogger Bank Teesside A&B development allows for two separate 1.2GW projects, each with up to 200 turbines installed across an area of around 600km2 and located 165 kilometers from the U.K. coast at the closest point. The Dogger Bank Teesside A&B consent approval is the result of more than four years of comprehensive assessments, community and stakeholder consultation, and planning by the consortium, owned equally by the four international energy companies – RWE,
UK Divers Fined for Undeclared Shipwreck Raids
In a landmark case, two divers today have been made to pay a total of £63,500 in fines and costs for not declaring valuable items from shipwrecks off the U.K. coast. David Knight and Edward Huzzey, both from Sandgate, had previously pleaded guilty to 19 offences between them, contrary to section 236 and section 237 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995. Knight was fined £7,000 and Huzzey £6,500. They were each ordered to pay £25,000 in costs. Items were taken from shipwrecks off the Kent coast, with the first known objects removed in 2001. The shipwrecks targeted included
Divers Guilty of Raiding Historic Shipwrecks
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) announced that two divers from Kent have pleaded guilty to not declaring valuable items from shipwrecks off the U.K. coast. David Knight and Edward Huzzey, both from Sandgate, admitted to 19 offences between them, contrary to section 236 and section 237 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995. Items were taken from shipwrecks off the Kent coast, with the first known objects removed in 2001. The shipwrecks targeted included German submarines from World War I and an unknown 200 year old wreck carrying English East India Company cargo. The items included
New Technology Predicts Storm Surges
Recent severe flooding around the U.K. coast is a stark reminder of the risks presented by storm surges – caused by a combination of high tides, winds and low pressure. The impacts on people, property and infrastructure, as recent events in Dawlish illustrate, can be significant. Storm surges, and their potential impacts, need to be understood by coastal managers, affected communities and all those with assets on the coastline. International flood and coastal engineering specialist HR Wallingford has developed SMARTtide, a state of the art tool that can now be used to predict storm surges in U.K.
February 2024
