TechWorks Marine Completes Oceanographic Survey for Clogherhead Wind Park for ESB and Parkwind

24th May 2024

Afloat.ie Team

The TechWorks Marine Oceanographic Survey for Clogherhead Wind Park for ESB and Parkwind involved the deployment of three metocean data buoys within the wind park area and along the export cable route. These buoys provided high-resolution data on sea state (currents and waves) and water quality

Metocean company TechWorks Marine has successfully completed a 12-month oceanographic campaign in the North Eastern Irish Sea for ESB and Parkwind at Clogherhead. The marine tech campaign involved the deployment of three metocean data buoys within the wind park area and along the export cable route, providing high-resolution data on sea state (currents and waves) and water quality.

The data collected in real-time was communicated using satellite and made available to clients through the secure CoastEye data platform. Additionally, Earth Observation satellite data was provided for some of the water quality parameters, which were validated by the metocean buoy measurements.

TechWorks Marine designed the metocean buoys to meet the clients' specific requirements, including the integration of all oceanographic sensors, vessel provision for deployment, servicing, and recovery, real-time ongoing data quality control, and the final data report, which included an intercomparison with an initial site model previously developed prior to the baseline survey.

Dr. Sinead McGlynn, Project Director at TechWorks Marine, expressed her delight in winning the contract through a competitive tender process. She emphasised the critical role of oceanographic surveys in the engineering design of offshore wind parks and expressed the company's eagerness to continue working on similar projects with ESB and Parkwind.

Mr. Conor Martin, Clogherhead Project Director, highlighted the significance of the Metocean survey in the development of the Clogherhead Offshore Wind Farm, emphasising the importance of the data in making informed decisions for the project's design and delivery.

The successful completion of the Metocean survey is a significant step in the development of the Clogherhead Offshore Wind Farm and comes at an exciting time for the Irish offshore wind energy sector.

Published in Marine Tech, Power From the Sea

Published in Marine Tech

Tagged under

About The Author

Afloat.ie Team

Email The Author

Afloat.ie is Ireland's dedicated marine journalism team.

Have you got a story for our reporters? Email us here.

We've got a favour to ask

More people are reading Afloat.ie than ever thanks to the power of the internet but we're in stormy seas because advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news sites, we haven't put up a paywall because we want to keep our marine journalism open.

Afloat.ie is Ireland's only full-time marine journalism team and it takes time, money and hard work to produce our content.

So you can see why we need to ask for your help.

If everyone chipped in, we can enhance our coverage and our future would be more secure. You can help us through a small donation. Thank you.

You might also want to read...

About Marine Technology

Marine technology, as defined by the European association WEGEMT, refers to the use of technology for ensuring the safe use, exploitation, protection of, and intervention in, the marine environment. This includes a wide range of technologies that support naval architecture, marine engineering, ship design, ship building, and ship operations.

In addition to these foundational technologies, marine technology also encompasses oil and gas exploration, exploitation, and production, hydrodynamics, navigation, sea surface and sub-surface support, underwater technology and engineering, marine resources (including both renewable and non-renewable marine resources), transport logistics and economics, inland, coastal, short sea and deep sea shipping, protection of the marine environment, and leisure and safety.

The importance of marine technology cannot be overstated. With over 70% of the earth's surface covered by water, the marine environment plays a critical role in our lives. From transportation to energy production, marine technology enables us to harness the immense potential of the oceans while minimizing the impact on the environment.

Moreover, the development of marine technology is crucial for the sustainable use of marine resources. As the demand for seafood and other marine products continues to grow, the sustainable management of these resources becomes increasingly important. Marine technology can help us to achieve this by providing innovative solutions for sustainable fishing, aquaculture, and other forms of marine resource management.

In Ireland, claims are made that the island country "has the potential to be the “Silicon Valley” of the aquatech world". Ireland is at a very exciting stage when it comes to aquatech. There are currently 62 aquatech companies operating here, all using technology to enable sustainable seafood farming at a time when the sector is facing many challenges.”

Ireland’s growing expertise in the developing aquatech sector means it has the potential to become a global leader in the field, with Irish aquatech companies turning over €200m last year.

Over €15m has been invested in aquatic businesses, and over 200 high-tech jobs have been created in the sector over the last six years.

In conclusion, marine technology is a vast and rapidly evolving field encompassing a broad range of technologies and applications. As we continue to explore and exploit the potential of the oceans, marine technology will play an increasingly important role in ensuring the safe and sustainable use of these resources.