The Department of Transport has been notified by Asso.subsea that they will be performing boulder clearance and pre-trenching works on behalf of Nexans as part of the Celtic Interconnector Project.
The works will be located at various points along the planned route between the south-east coast of Ireland and the northern coast of France. The works were set to begin on Sunday 2 June and will continue until 10 November, subject to weather and operational constraints.
The boulder clearance and pre-trenching operations are within the cable corridor extending +/-500m to each side of the planned cable centreline.
Works are being conducted by the trenching support vessel Aethra (callsign SVDM6) which will display the relevant lights and shapes during periods of restricted manoeuvrability and adhere to COLREGS and all licencing requirements.
During the boulder clearance and pre-trenching operations, the vessel will keep a listening watch on VHF Channel 16 and will actively transmit an AIS signal. A listening watch will also be maintained on VTS VHF Channels as appropriate. The vessel will broadcast daily, and at shorter intervals as may be required by passing traffic, the vessel position, operational information and planned operations for the next 24 hours.
Further information, including a map and coordinates and contact details, can be found in Marine Notice No 32 of 2024 attached below.
