Offshore Wind Farm Helicopter Search and Rescue Trials

1 Introduction

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has responsibility, on behalf of the Department for Transport of the UK Government, for the safety of navigation under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), for the direction and co-ordination of search and rescue operations and for the prevention of marine pollution. Offshore wind farm installations are new to the United Kingdom and comparatively so to other countries’ waters. The installations are large in area and in the number and size of their structures. However, at the few sites where wind farms had been constructed little detailed practical research on their effect on marine safety had yet been undertaken.

Experience with other types of offshore structure and the results of desktop studies indicated that offshore wind farm structures might have the potential to interfere with marine systems such as shipborne, shorebased and airborne radar.

The original proposed research was intended to obtain scientific and practical operational data on various navigation and communications systems’ performance within and in the vicinity of offshore wind farms. In particular, any degradation of the performance of systems was to be determined, quantified and, where considered necessary, cost effective solutions recommended.

Offshore wind farms, consented under Round 1 and proposed under Round 2, cover large areas of open water and hence present hazards to navigation. A number of them are considered to be close to or encroach into waters where there is a high density of shipping movements or be close to waters used by fishing vessels and recreational craft. Their positions are necessarily those which are exposed to weather conditions which could affect the navigation of vessels, particularly small craft. Their locations are, for technical reasons, often in relatively shallow waters near shoals, and therefore in close proximity to restricted waters used by small craft, shipping inshore gaining access to ports or to those waters providing a more sheltered passage required in inclement weather and sea conditions. Tidal streams of varying sets and rates pass through all wind farm sites. Some sites are within port limits and some lie within Vessel Traffic System (VTS) operational limits.

Port authorities and VTS operators require effective detection, identification and tracking of vessels navigating in their areas so as to be able to organise traffic or provide traffic information and navigational assistance services to vessels operating within port approaches or prescribed routing schemes to meet their statutory responsibilities in respect of the safety of navigation. The importance of effective detection and identification is further emphasised by the implementation of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code from 1 July 2004.

Emergency services such as Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) vessels, HM Coastguard and RAF helicopters require the ability to rapidly detect and react to maritime casualties.

All of the foregoing require consistent and effective radio communications systems.

Failure of any radar, navigation or communication system could give rise to increased risks to safety or lead to marine casualties and reduce the effectiveness of emergency service operations.

These data will be used to inform mariners, the shipping and ports industries, the General Lighthouse Authorities, the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations, the emergency services, the Royal Yachting Association, wind farm developers and all other interested parties, of the extent of any system limitations, any consequent increased risks and, where necessary, recommendations as to how these should be mitigated.

This outcome may also be used to inform the consents process of offshore wind farm applications.

The original trials were carried out at the North Hoyle wind farm on various days between July 20^th and August 11^th 2004 but, for reason of other commitments, these trials were unable to include search and rescue helicopters.

Fig 1 : North Hoyle Offshore Wind Farm from Gwaenysgor

Fig 2 : Charted details of North Hoyle

( diagram courtesy of Npower Renewables)

Fig 3 : 30 turbines within an area approximately 1.0 X 1.75 n.m.

(1.8 X3.2 km)