Local Company benefits from Government’s new offshore wind developments

Gardline Marine Sciences Ltd is one of the first companies to benefit from Round 3. The contract to provide Ornithological Surveys services to the Forewind consortium, development partners for the Dogger Bank zone, has been awarded to Gardline Environmental Ltd. The two year contract not only includes the provision of ESAS (European Seabirds At Sea) trained seabird surveyors but also the dedicated 24 month charter of the 65m MV Sea Profiler, one of the Gardline Group’s fleet of 18 survey vessels.
Forewind comprises four leading international energy companies, committed to securing all the necessary consents required for the construction and development of Dogger Bank.
The award highlights the strengths of Gardline Environmental Ltd, which will be applying valuable skills and experience learnt from many years supporting the developing offshore renewable energy sector . The Dogger Bank zone is not only the largest of the new sites; it will also be the furthest offshore and presents a number of significant technical challenges.
Marine Wildlife surveys are one of the first steps that have to be undertaken before further consent licenses are awarded by the Crown Estates and these are dependent on approval from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). The Marine Wildlife Department at Gardline Environmental already has considerable experience in the offshore wind sector providing services to other offshore wind farms including the 300MW Thanet development in the Thames Estuary. The department not only offers Ornithological surveys but also marine mammal pre-development surveys, as well as marine mammal mitigation and noise profiling during windfarm construction phase.
Growth in demand for these services has grown significantly in the last few years requiring more trained bird and mammal observers. In nearly two years the department has grown from five employees to a team of twenty and is currently undergoing a recruitment drive in lieu of the R3 announcements. The Gardline Group also provides a range of additional services to the renewables sector including MetOcean Studies, Benthic and Geophysical Surveys, Geotechnical Investigation and Crew Boat and Maintenance Support Services. .