Marine Notice: Hydrographic and Geophysical Surveys in South Coast Designated Maritime Area Plan

12th August 2026

Afloat.ie Team

File image of the Marine Institute research vessel Tom Crean, which will be engaged in survey work for the DMAP from Friday 14 August Credit: Xposure/Andrew Downes

The Department of Transport has been notified by the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment (DCEE) that they will undertake hydrographic and geophysical surveys in the South Coast Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP) to inform future offshore renewable energy development.

The campaign will involve the deployment of a hull-mounted multi-beam echo sounder and a high-frequency chirp-source sub-bottom profiler.

Towed geophysical sensors, comprising a sparker ultra-high-resolution seismic (UHRS) source, a multi-channel hydrophone and tail buoy (approximate length of 200m), a side-scan sonar and magnetometer with ultra-short baseline positioning (USBL) will be employed.

A Shipek or day grab may be deployed to acquire sediment samples within the survey area.

Survey activity will take place between Friday 14 August and Thursday 10 September 2026, for a total of 28 days, subject to weather and operational constraints.

The survey area is on the Southeast Coast of Ireland between Cork and Wexford, in water depth of between 10 and 75 metres. The survey will be conducted by the RV Tom Crean (callsign EIYX3) which will display appropriate lights and markers and will have restricted manoeuvrability while towing equipment. The vessel will be listening on VHF Channel 16 throughout the course of the survey.

Maps and coordinates of the survey area, as well as contact details, can be found in Marine Notice No 38 of 2026 attached below.

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Marine Notice No 38 of 2026 (0 Downloads)

Published in ESB Renewable Energy, Power From the Sea, Marine Planning

Published in ESB Renewable Energy

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