Frequency of occurrence

462. The frequency of occurrence is considered to be negligible based on the distance to other Tier 1 offshore wind developments.

Severity of consequence

463. The severity of consequence is considered to be serious.

Significance of the effect

464. Overall, the severity of consequence is deemed to be serious and the frequency of occurrence is considered to be negligible. The effect will therefore be of broadly acceptable significance, which is not significant in EIA terms.

Further mitigation and residual effect

465. No shipping and navigation mitigation is considered necessary because the likely effect in the absence of further mitigation (beyond the designed in measures outlined in section 13.10) is of broadly acceptable significance, which is not significant in EIA terms.

                        Operation and maintenance phase

466. It is anticipated that Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm will be operational prior to commencement of construction of the Array, with this also likely being the case for Berwick Bank Offshore Wind Farm noting timelines are less certain. During the operation and maintenance phase, both will therefore likely have operational mitigations active, in particular lighting and marking in agreement with NLB (a LMP is a condition of the Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm consent and is a standard condition).
467. Other Tier 1 offshore wind developments are in excess of 30 nm from the Array, and therefore given the localised nature of allision risk, any notable additional cumulative risk is unlikely, noting that the NRA cumulative routeing assessment (volume 3, appendix 13.1) indicated likely limited interaction with Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm and Berwick Bank Offshore Wind Farm to vessels also passing the Array.

Frequency of occurrence

468. The frequency of occurrence is considered to be negligible based on the distance to other Tier 1 offshore wind developments.

Severity of consequence

469. The severity of consequence is considered to be serious.

Significance of the effect

470. Overall, the severity of consequence is deemed to be serious and the frequency of occurrence is considered to be negligible. The effect will therefore be of broadly acceptable significance, which is not significant in EIA terms.

Further mitigation and residual effect

471. No shipping and navigation mitigation is considered necessary because the likely effect in the absence of further mitigation (beyond the designed in measures outlined in section 13.10) is of broadly acceptable significance, which is not significant in EIA terms.

                        Decommissioning phase

472. Decommissioning timelines of Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm Seagreen 1A Project, and Berwick Bank Offshore Wind Farm are unknown, however given they are anticipated to be operational prior to commencement of construction of the Array, they may be decommissioned in advance of decommissioning of the Array. These projects are likely to utilise industry standard mitigations during decommissioning, including use of a buoyed decommissioning area and temporary lighting where appropriate.
473. Other Tier 1 offshore wind developments are in excess of 30 nm from the Array, and therefore given the localised nature of allision risk, any notable additional cumulative risk is unlikely, noting that the NRA cumulative routeing assessment (volume 3, appendix 13.1) indicated likely limited interaction with Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm and Berwick Bank Offshore Wind Farm to vessels also passing the Array.

Frequency of occurrence

474. The frequency of occurrence is considered to be negligible based on the distance to other Tier 1 offshore wind developments.

Severity of consequence

475. The severity of consequence is considered to be serious.

Significance of the effect

476. Overall, the severity of consequence is deemed to be serious and the frequency of occurrence is considered to be negligible. The effect will therefore be of broadly acceptable significance, which is not significant in EIA terms.

Further mitigation and residual effect

477. No shipping and navigation mitigation is considered necessary because the likely effect in the absence of further mitigation (beyond the designed in measures outlined in section 13.10) is of broadly acceptable significance, which is not significant in EIA terms.

                        Tier 2

                        All phases

478. As discussed within the cumulative displacement impact commentary, based on the cumulative routeing assessment in the NRA (volume 3, appendix 13.1) it is likely that most vessels currently transiting within or near the Array will choose to pass inshore between Seagreen 1 Offshore Wind Farm (screened out as part of the baseline) and Morven Offshore Wind Farm, where there is in excess of 10 nm of width of sea room available for transit (which is considered sufficient to safely accommodate additional vessel transits without unduly increasing allision risk given allision risk is localised to each development). Vessels choosing to pass further have open sea room to the east.
479. All Tier 2 developments will be required to agree lighting and marking with the NLB to ensure navigational safety including managing allision risk. Similarly, layouts must also be agreed with the MCA and NLB, with these discussions including consideration of internal allision risk. The proximity of the Morven Offshore Wind Farm means that lighting and marking and also charting will need to be considered cumulatively. This will ensure vessels are aware of the projects and are able to passage plan accordingly to manage cumulative allision risk.

Frequency of occurrence

480. The frequency of occurrence is considered to be extremely unlikely based on the available sea room, outputs of the modelling, and consideration of historical incident data.

Severity of consequence

481. The severity of consequence is considered to be serious.

Significance of the effect

482. Overall, the severity of consequence is deemed to be serious and the frequency of occurrence is considered to be extremely unlikely. The effect will, therefore, be of tolerable significance and ALARP, which is not significant in EIA.

Further mitigation and residual effect

483. Assuming consultation with the MCA and NLB on the cumulative lighting and marking and charting of the Array and other Tier 2 developments, the effect is considered to be of tolerable significance and ALARP, which is not significant in EIA terms.

                        Tier 3

                        All phases

484. The inclusion of Tier 3 developments is considered as increasing the likelihood that vessels will pass inshore in particular the Bowdun Offshore Wind Farm and the Flora Floating Wind Farm, noting that no Tier 3 developments result in reduced sea room between Seagreen 1 Offshore Wind Farm (screened out as part of the baseline) and Morven Offshore Wind Farm (Tier 2). Tier 3 developments do not reduce this available sea space, where there is in excess of 10 nm of width of sea room available for transit which is considered sufficient to safely accommodate additional vessel transits without unduly increasing allision risk. This includes the Aspen and Cedar projects which are both located in excess of 25 nm from the Array.
485. Any vessels choosing to pass further offshore will likely use either the sea space between the Array and Bellrock Offshore Wind Farm, or between Campion Offshore Wind Farm and Bellrock Offshore Wind Farm. There is in excess of 10 nm of sea room between Campion Offshore Wind Farm and Bellrock Offshore Wind Farm, and consensus during consultation including at the Hazard Workshop was that the space available between Bellrock Offshore Wind Farm and the Array was also sufficient to manage any associated risk.
486. In addition to Tier 2 developments, all Tier 3 developments will be required to agree lighting and marking with the NLB to ensure navigational safety including managing allision risk. Similarly, layouts must also be agreed with the MCA and NLB, with these discussions including consideration of internal allision risk. In addition to the Morven Offshore Wind Farm (Tier 2), the proximity of the Bellrock Offshore Wind Farm means that lighting and marking and also charting will need to be considered cumulatively.

Frequency of occurrence

487. The frequency of occurrence is considered to be extremely unlikely based on the available sea room, outputs of the modelling, and consideration of historical incident data.

Severity of consequence

488. The severity of consequence is considered to be serious.

Significance of the effect

489. Overall, the severity of consequence is deemed to be serious and the frequency of occurrence is considered to be extremely unlikely. The effect will, therefore, be of tolerable significance and ALARP, which is not significant in EIA terms.

Further mitigation and residual effect

490. Assuming consultation with the MCA and NLB on the cumulative lighting and marking and charting of the Array and other Tier 2 and Tier 3 developments, the effect is considered to be of tolerable significance and ALARP, which is not significant in EIA terms.

Reduced access to local ports and harbours

                        Tier 1

                        Construction phase

491. Any displacement associated with the installation of the offshore export cable(s) required for the Array will be spatially limited to the area immediately around the installation vessel activities and temporary in nature. Details of the installation would be promulgated in advance via the usual means including Notice to Mariners and Kingfisher bulletins ensuring awareness will be increased and facilitating passage planning. Any cumulative impact on port access is therefore unlikely.
492. It is anticipated that Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm and the Seagreen 1A Project will be operational prior to commencement of construction of the Array, with this also likely being the case for Berwick Bank Offshore Wind Farm noting timelines are less certain. Therefore, it is likely that the only additional project vessels on a cumulative basis will be those associated with the operation and maintenance of Tier 1 projects, meaning it is likely that traffic volumes will be lower than during their respective construction phases, up until decommissioning.
493. These projects are likely to be utilising similar vessel management mitigations to those discussed in section 13.10, in particular marine coordination. It is also noted that the production of a VMP and NSP are conditions of the Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm consent and are standard conditions. These measures will seek to ensure vessel movements including in and out of port are managed.
494. Given the distance between the Tier 1 offshore wind developments and the Array (all in excess of 30 nm), there will be no direct impact on port access from the associated structures outside of the deviations which have already been assessed separately. Based on the cumulative routeing assessment in the NRA (volume 3, appendix 13.1), it is not anticipated that the Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm, Seagreen 1A Project or Berwick Bank Offshore Wind Farm will impact main routes also interacting with the Array.

Frequency of occurrence

495. The frequency of occurrence is considered to be negligible considering the extent of the cumulative study area and based on the available sea room around Tier 1 developments and the temporary nature of the cable installation impact.

Severity of consequence

496. The severity of consequence is considered to be minor.

Significance of the effect

497. Overall, the severity of consequence is deemed to be minor and the frequency of occurrence is considered to be negligible. The effect will therefore be of broadly acceptable significance, which is not significant in EIA terms.

Further mitigation and residual effect

498. No shipping and navigation mitigation is considered necessary because the likely effect in the absence of further mitigation (beyond the designed in measures outlined in section 13.10) is of broadly acceptable significance, which is not significant in EIA terms.

                        Operation and maintenance phase

499. Any displacement associated with the offshore export cable(s) required for the Array during the operation and maintenance phase will be limited to any maintenance activity requiring the presence of a vessel. This displacement would be spatially limited to the area immediately around the vessel activities and temporary in nature. Details of the operation would be promulgated in advance via the usual means including Notice to Mariners and Kingfisher bulletins seeking to ensure awareness will be increased and facilitating passage planning. Any cumulative impact on port access is therefore unlikely.
500. As noted in the construction phase impact, it is anticipated that the Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm and the Seagreen 1A Project will be operational prior to commencement of construction of the Array, with this also likely being the case for the Berwick Bank Offshore Wind Farm noting timelines are less certain. Therefore, during the operation and maintenance phase for the Array, it is likely that the only additional project vessels on a cumulative basis will be those associated with the operation and maintenance of the Tier 1 projects, meaning it is likely that traffic volumes associated with the Tier 1 projects will be lower than during the construction phases, up until decommissioning.
501. These projects are likely to be utilising similar vessel management mitigations to those discussed in section 13.10 during the operation and maintenance phase, in particular marine coordination. It is also noted that the production of a VMP and NSP are conditions of the Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm consent and are standard conditions. These measures will ensure vessel movements including in and out of port are managed.
502. Given the distance between the Tier 1 offshore wind developments and the Array (in excess of 30 nm) there will be no direct impact on port access from the associated structures outside of the deviations which have already been assessed separately. Based on the cumulative routeing assessment in the NRA, it is not anticipated that the Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm, Seagreen 1A Project or Berwick Bank Offshore Wind Farm will impact main routes also interacting with the Array.

Frequency of occurrence

503. The frequency of occurrence is considered to be negligible considering the extent of the cumulative study area and based on the available sea room around Tier 1 developments and the temporary nature of the cable installation impact.

Severity of consequence

504. The severity of consequence is considered to be minor.

Significance of the effect

505. Overall, the severity of consequence is deemed to be minor and the frequency of occurrence is considered to be negligible. The effect will therefore be of broadly acceptable significance, which is not significant in EIA terms.

Further mitigation and residual effect

506. No shipping and navigation mitigation is considered necessary because the likely effect in the absence of further mitigation (beyond the designed in measures outlined in section 13.10) is of broadly acceptable significance, which is not significant in EIA terms.

                        Decommissioning phase

507. Any displacement associated with the decommissioning of the offshore export cable(s) required for the Array will be spatially limited to the area immediately around the associated vessel activities and temporary in nature. Details of the decommissioning would be promulgated in advance via the usual means including Notice to Mariners and Kingfisher bulletins ensuring awareness will be maximised and facilitating passage planning.
508. Cumulative impacts on port access from the Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm, Seagreen 1A Project and the Berwick Bank Offshore Wind Farm are considered equivalent to the corresponding construction phase impact.

Frequency of occurrence

509. The frequency of occurrence is considered to be negligible considering the extent of the cumulative study area and based on the available sea room around Tier 1 developments and the temporary nature of the cable installation impact.

Severity of consequence

510. The severity of consequence is considered to be minor.

Significance of the effect

511. Overall, the severity of consequence is deemed to be minor and the frequency of occurrence is considered to be negligible. The effect will therefore be of broadly acceptable significance, which is not significant in EIA terms.

Further mitigation and residual effect

512. No shipping and navigation mitigation is considered necessary because the likely effect in the absence of further mitigation (beyond the designed in measures outlined in section 13.10) is of broadly acceptable significance, which is not significant in EIA terms.

                        Tier 2

                        All phases

513. Given the distance offshore of Tier 2 developments, there is unlikely to be any direct impact on port access from the structures outside of the cumulative deviations that have already been assessed.
514. All Tier 2 developments are likely to be utilising similar vessel management mitigations to those deployed fort the Array, in particular marine coordination. It is also noted that the production of a VMP and NSP are standard conditions of consent. These measures will seek to ensure vessel movements including in and out of port are managed.

Frequency of occurrence

515. The frequency of occurrence is considered to be negligible considering the extent of the cumulative study area and based on the available sea room.

Severity of consequence

516. The severity of consequence is considered to be minor.

Significance of the effect

517. Overall, the severity of consequence is deemed to be minor and the frequency of occurrence is considered to be negligible. The effect will therefore be of broadly acceptable significance, which is not significant in EIA terms.

Further mitigation and residual effect

518. No shipping and navigation mitigation is considered necessary because the likely effect in the absence of further mitigation (beyond the designed in measures outlined in section 13.10) is of broadly acceptable significance, which is not significant in EIA terms.

                        Tier 3

                        All phases

519. Given the distance offshore of Tier 3 developments, there is unlikely to be any direct impact on port access from the structures outside of the cumulative deviations that have already been assessed.
520. As for Tier 2, all Tier 3 developments are likely to be utilising similar vessel management mitigations to those deployed fort the Array, in particular marine coordination. It is also noted that the production of a VMP and NSP are standard conditions of consent. These measures will seek to ensure vessel movements including in and out of port are managed.

Frequency of occurrence

521. The frequency of occurrence is considered to be negligible considering the extent of the cumulative study area and based on the available sea room.

Severity of consequence

522. The severity of consequence is considered to be minor.

Significance of the effect

523. Overall, the severity of consequence is deemed to be minor and the frequency of occurrence is considered to be negligible. The effect will therefore be of broadly acceptable significance, which is not significant in EIA terms.

Further mitigation and residual effect

524. No shipping and navigation mitigation is considered necessary because the likely effect in the absence of further mitigation (beyond the designed in measures outlined in section 13.10) is of broadly acceptable significance, which is not significant in EIA terms.

Reduction in SAR Capability

                        Tier 1

                        All phases

525. Given the low baseline incident rates, there is not considered likely to be a notable effect on emergency response resources on a cumulative level. This takes account of historical data showing that allisions and collisions caused by offshore wind farms do not occur at a high frequency (as detailed in the NRA (volume 3, appendix 13.1)), in combination with there being unlikely to be a notable rise in incidents associated with the installation of the offshore export cable(s) required for the Array.
526. It is anticipated that the Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm and the Seagreen 1A Project will be operational prior to commencement of construction of the Array with this also likely being the case for Berwick Bank Offshore Wind Farm noting timelines are less certain. Therefore, it is likely that the only additional project vessels on a cumulative basis will be those associated with the operation and maintenance of the Tier 1 projects, meaning it is likely that traffic volumes will be lower than during the construction phases, up until decommissioning. By extension, this is also likely to mean that risk of incident is lower.
527. All offshore wind farms, including Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm, Seagreen 1A Project and Berwick Bank Offshore Wind Farm, will also be required to produce and agree an ERCoP and SAR checklist with the MCA.
528. Given the distance between Tier 1 offshore wind developments and the Array (in excess of 30 nm), there will be no direct cumulative impact on the ability to search the localised areas covered by the projects in a SAR operation.

Frequency of occurrence

529. The frequency of occurrence is considered to be remote based on consideration of the historical incident data and the designed in measures in place including compliance with MGN 654.

Severity of consequence

530. The severity of consequence is considered to be serious.

Significance of the effect

531. Overall, the severity of consequence is deemed to be serious and the frequency of occurrence is considered to be remote. The effect will therefore be of tolerable significance and ALARP, which is not significant in EIA terms.

Further mitigation and residual effect

532. No shipping and navigation mitigation is considered necessary because the likely effect in the absence of further mitigation (beyond the designed in measures outlined in section 13.10) is of tolerable significance and ALARP, which is not significant in EIA terms.

                        Tier 2

                        All phases

533. All Tier 2 projects will be required to produce an ERCoP and agree a SAR checklist with the MCA, meaning that each individual project will have appropriate liaison measures with the MCA in place, and implement suitable SAR mitigations. The relevant MCA guidance (MCA, 2021b) also requires that individual ERCoPs consider SAR procedures and liaison on a cumulative basis.
534. MCA guidance in the form of MGN 654 (MCA, 2021a) also dictates SAR design requirements for offshore wind farms. All Tier 2 projects will need to discuss and agree their layouts with the MCA, and these discussions will include consideration of other local offshore wind farms in proximity. This will ensure SAR operations can continue within the area, with SAR assets being able to access and search individual offshore wind farm layouts.

Frequency of occurrence

535. The frequency of occurrence is considered to be remote based on consideration of the historical incident data and the designed in measures in place including compliance with MGN 654.

Severity of consequence

536. The severity of consequence is considered to be serious.

Significance of the effect

537. Overall, the severity of consequence is deemed to be serious and the frequency of occurrence is considered to be remote. The effect will therefore be of tolerable significance and ALARP, which is not significant in EIA terms.

Further mitigation and residual effect

538. No shipping and navigation mitigation is considered necessary because the likely effect in the absence of further mitigation (beyond the designed in measures outlined in section 13.10) is of tolerable significance and ALARP which is not significant in EIA terms.

                        Tier 3

                        All phases

539. All Tier 3 projects will be required to produce an ERCoP and agree a SAR checklist with the MCA, meaning that each individual project will have appropriate liaison measures with the MCA in place, and implement suitable SAR mitigations. The relevant MCA guidance (MCA, 2021b) also requires that individual ERCoPs consider SAR procedures and liaison on a cumulative basis.
540. MCA guidance in the form of MGN 654 (MCA, 2021a) also dictates SAR design requirements for offshore wind farms. All Tier 3 projects will need to discuss and agree their layouts with the MCA, and these discussions will include consideration of other local offshore wind farms in proximity. This will ensure SAR operations can continue within the area, with SAR assets being able to access and search individual offshore wind farm layouts.

Frequency of occurrence

541. The frequency of occurrence is considered to be remote based on consideration of the historical incident data and the designed in measures in place including compliance with MGN 654.

Severity of consequence

542. The severity of consequence is considered to be serious.

Significance of the effect

543. Overall, the severity of consequence is deemed to be serious and the frequency of occurrence is considered to be remote. The effect will therefore be of tolerable significance and ALARP, which is not significant in EIA terms.

Further mitigation and residual effect

544. No shipping and navigation mitigation is considered necessary because the likely effect in the absence of further mitigation (beyond the designed in measures outlined in section 13.10) is of tolerable significance and ALARP, which is not significant in EIA terms.