1.13. Shipping and Navigation
- Shipping and navigation refers to the regular activity and behaviour of surface based vessels. The shipping and navigation baseline in vicinity to the site boundary was characterised by Admiralty charts (which provided the navigational features of the area), maritime incident data (which provided an indication of incident rates) and vessel traffic data which captured local vessel traffic patterns.
- The review of Admiralty charts indicated the presence of aids to navigation within, and in vicinity to, the site boundary as well as charted wrecks/obstructions inshore (more common) and offshore of the site boundary. Oil and gas infrastructure was also identified to the east of the site boundary and the Seagreen 1 Offshore Wind Farm to its west. Maritime incident data indicated that incident rates are low, which is as expected due to the distance of the site boundary offshore. The vessel traffic data indicated that cargo vessels and oil and gas vessels are the most common types of vessels in the area. Fishing vessel and recreational vessel levels are low due to the distance offshore of the site boundary.
- A number of potential impacts on shipping and navigation, associated with the construction, operation and maintenance, and decommissioning phases of the Array, were identified. These included:
- increased risk of collision/allision;
- displacement from adverse weather routeing;
- reduced access to local ports and harbours;
- loss of station;
- reduction of underkeel clearance;
- anchor interaction with subsea cables or mooring lines; and
- reduction in SAR capability.
- With the proposed designed in measures in place, all these impacts result in effects that are not significant in EIA terms and at most tolerable with mitigation.
- Cumulative impacts arising from the Array together with other projects and plans were assessed and predicted to result in effects that are not significant in EIA terms and at most tolerable with mitigation.
- Transboundary impacts in terms of vessel routeing (including to international ports) have been assessed within the Array alone and cumulative assessments. Individual vessel transits may have the potential to be associated with vessels that are internationally owned or located, however, any such transits have been captured within the baseline assessment of vessel traffic.