Partrac Ltd intend to deploy three Metocean buoys at the Dublin Array offshore wind farm in a one-day operation some time between this Wednesday 9 and Wednesday 23 June, weather permitting.

One floating lidar buoy and two wave buoys will be deployed by the AMS Retriever (callsign MEHI8) which will be displaying all appropriate lights and shapes.

The floating lidar buoy has a square footprint with an area of 4m2 and a height of some 4m above the water line. It is yellow in colour and has a St Andrew’s cross on top.

The wave buoys are spherical in shape with a diameter of around 1.1m. When deployed, the wave buoys appear clear with a yellow hull.

Both the floating lidar buoy and the wave buoys have a yellow light which emits five flashes every 20 seconds. The light is visible for up to three nautical miles.

The floating lidar buoy will be deployed for a period of four to eight weeks. It will then be moved to a permanent position in the south end of Dublin Array where it will be deployed for 18 months. The wave buoys will be deployed for a period of 12 months.

The floating lidar buoy will be towed approximately 30m astern of the AMS Retriever at a maximum speed of four knots.

As such, the vessel will be restricted in its ability to manoeuvre so all other boats operating in proximity are requested to keep their distance, maintaining a safety zone around the deployment vessel and pass at minimum speed to reduce vessel wash.

Details of the buoy locations are included in Marine Notice No 37 of 2021 which can be downloaded below.

Metocean devices will be deployed in the Irish Sea off the Wicklow coast) in the coming days, weather permitting, to provide environmental data for the development of the Arklow Bank Wind Park.

Similar to last autumn’s deployment, four separate devices to monitor waves and currents will be deployed, which will include a seabed frame with the sensors mounted on it, an anchoring system, and a surface marker buoy.

The devices will be deployed using either the AMS Retriever (Callsign MEHI8) or Husky (Callsign 2EQI7), both versatile multi-purpose shallow draft tugs. The devices will remain in place for approximately six months, serviced on a three-monthly basis.

During deployment and recovery operations, the AMS vessel will be restricted in its ability to manoeuvre. The devices will be located using yellow special mark buoys which will have the relevant markers and ATON characters.

The location of the devices will be off the Wicklow coastline as detailed in Marine Notice No 31 of 2020, which is available to download below.

Metocean devices will be deployed in the Irish Sea off the Wicklow coast in late October/early November, subject to weather conditions, to facilitate the development of the Arklow Bank Wind Park.

Five separate devices are being deployed which will include a seabed frame with sensors mounted on it, an anchoring system and a surface marker buoy, according to a recent Marine Notice from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.

The devices will be located off the Wicklow coastline, with locations detailed in Marine Notice No 48 of 2019, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.

The devices will be deployed using the shallow draft tug AMS Retriever (callsign MEHI8) and will remain in place for approximately one year, serviced on a quarterly basis.

During deployment and recovery operations, the AMS Retriever will be restricted in its ability to manoeuvre.

The devices, similar to that recently deployed at the Oriel Windfarm in Dundalk Bay, will be located using yellow special mark buoys which will have relevant markers and ATON characters.