Route Clearance to Begin on Western Link Project

Route clearance operations are set to begin in the Irish Sea and the North Channel as part of Western Link Project.

The route clearance, which will be conducted in preparation for the future deep water installation campaigns of the Western Link HVDC cable, is expected to be completed beginning of February 2016.

The operations to be carried out at seven locations, will involve locating and cutting through the Out of Service (OOS) cables that cross the Western Link HVDC cable route.

The cables will be located using a de-trenching grapnel, and will be cut at the seabed by a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV).

The severed sections of the cable will be recovered and removed from the area.  The remaining OOS cable will remain undisturbed on the seabed, AWJ Marine noted.

Out of seven locations where the operations will be conducted, six are in the North Channel, between Northern Ireland and the Mull of Galloway. The seventh site is located between Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man.

The work on the route clearance will be undertaken by Go Pegasus vessel.

Subsea World News Staff