Webinar summary: The challenge of offshore wind coexisting with shipping, navigation and the ports industry

Delivered by global shipping and navigation experts from NASH Maritime (part of APEM Group) Jamie Holmes and Brocque Preece, with panellists Mahesh Alimchandani, Retired Head of Navigation for Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) and Vaughan Jackson, Offshore Renewables Project Lead at the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the presentation focussed on:

An introduction to shipping and navigation assessment – how to identify the impacts of offshore wind development upon the different users of the marine environment, taking in when and how risks are assessed, and how early, robust and thorough assessment can bring confidence to offshore wind developers, stakeholders and decision makers.

The key aspects of a navigational risk assessment including using data, knowledge and experience from a variety of sources including key user groups, documents and datasets. The five core steps of a navigational risk assessment to identify risks, answer questions around the likelihood and level of impacts, identify gaps, iterate how matters can be improved and recommend actions should be taken.

A case study considering the navigational features of the Gippsland, VIC, Australia areas, looking at existing aids to navigation, oil and gas infrastructure, areas to be avoided (ATBA), traffic separation schemes, navigational hazards, key ports and subsea infrastructure, as well as other nationally, culturally and environmentally sensitive areas.

The importance of early and meaningful stakeholder collaboration and engagement from a variety of industry, government and private user groups, to provide qualitative contributions that can be brought together with a quantitative data analysis to inform the assessments themselves and to jointly discuss impacts.

Designing a site for effective risk management and safe operations long-term, from construction, through operation and management to decommissioning. The presentation looked at early incorporation of key plan documents including Vessel Traffic Management Plans, Lighting and Marking Plans, Aids to Navigation Management, Pollution Contingency Plans and Emergency Response Cooperation Plans.

The impacts and interface with ports and harbours, particularly the impacts of manufacturing, integration, construction base, wet storage (for floating offshore wind) and operations and management. The importance of safeguarding access to ports and minimising impacts on their own existing operations, and the need to review and update existing risk assessments and approaches to safely incorporate a significant change in operations and user type in the port environment.

The increasing need for developers to consider cumulative impacts of multiple wind farms in the same sea area. Interactions between adjacent projects introduces greater challenges offshore, including cumulative deviation of routes, corridor creation and spatial squeeze. Although many seabed owners and governments will consider cumulative aspects holistically within marine spatial planning, there is still a requirement for individual projects to consider and address the cumulative picture, with a look at recent projects in the UK that have taken a regional approach to their assessment.

Did you miss the webinar? Watch the recording.

To get in touch with Jamie Holmes, Director and Brocque Preece, Offshore Wind Lead, contact us.

About NASH Maritime:

NASH Maritime, part of APEM Group, are leaders in their field, supporting complex maritime schemes in challenging marine environments. With innovative thinking and decades of experience, NASH Maritime empower clients to manage shipping and navigation risk, optimise design and enable safe co-existence with other marine users. NASH Maritime understand the commercial value of risk-based decision making and take an active role in driving new approaches to safety and cost reduction.