14.2 Cumulative Routeing

  1. Consideration has been given to vessel routeing on a cumulative basis. Anatec’s ShipRoutes database and the baseline data have been used to estimate which main routes (as defined and detailed in section 11.2) may need to deviate to avoid screened‑in cumulative developments. Table 14.2 presents a breakdown of which of these routes intersect 1 nm buffers of these developments (developments not shown did not have any route intersections).

Table 14.2: Cumulative Routeing Interactions (only includes developments with routeing interactions)

Route ID

Ossian

Morven

Bellrock

Bowdun

Salamander

Cedar

Flora

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

 

 

 

 

3

 

 

 

 

 

4

 

 

 

 

 

5

 

 

 

6

 

 

 

 

 

 

7

 

 

 

 

8

 

 

 

 

9

 

 

 

 

10

 

 

 

 

 

 

11

 

 

 

  1. The following subsections provide a broad indication of the routeing options available to vessels in the area and the deviations that may be undertaken by each of the main routes previously defined, noting consideration has been given to the input received from key stakeholders and vessel operators (full details are provided in Section 4).
  2. There would be no restrictions on entry into the Array or the sea areas between the Array and other nearby developments and certain vessels may therefore choose to transit through such areas or the Array. However, the NRA process and consultation has indicated that the most likely routeing options between developments are as follows:
  • Between Seagreen 1 and Morven Offshore Wind Farms: in excess of 10 nm of sea room is available, and therefore north / south traffic may use this area, noting it is considered the most likely routeing option for north/south traffic based on consultation.
  • Between Ossian and Bellrock Offshore Wind Farms: the minimum width between these developments is 4.7 nm, which exceeds the minimum distance that would be required under the MGN 654 (MCA, 2021) corridor guidance[7]. General consensus at the hazard workshop was that the available space was sufficient to safely accommodate likely vessel users.
  • Between Bellrock and Campion Offshore Wind Farms: in excess of 12 nm of sea room is available, and therefore east / west traffic including associated with Aberdeen may use this area. Tidewater (who operate oil and gas vessels from Aberdeen) indicated they may use this area during consultation.