News this week

On Wednesday 29 September, EMEC and Global Marine held an open day on the Cable Ship Sovereign which has been at anchor off Kirkwall for the last week. The ship has been laying new cables for EMEC and tours are were arranged before it went out for the last piece of work. We were delighted with the turnout, and the level of interest from the local community with more than 250 coming on board. Thanks go to Global Marine and their crew for opening up the ship and making the day possible, giving people the opportunity to get closer to some of the marine energy activity that is happening around Orkney at the moment.

Also visiting the Sovereign this week was the UK Minister for Energy and Climate Change, Charles Hendry MP, who came to EMEC on Tuesday 28 September. During the flying visit, Mr Hendry travelled by launch to Lyness to see EON’s Pelamis P2 device, which will undergo a test programme at EMEC’s wave test site. Mr Hendry also met EMEC clients, local business representatives, and Orkney and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael.

Jenny Norris, EMEC’s Research Director travelled to Dublin this week to work on an International Energy Agency Ocean Energy Systems (IEA-OES) project. The IEA is providing a framework for international collaboration in energy technology R&D, demonstration and information exchange. EMEC is involved in Annex IV – Assessment of Environmental Effects and Monitoring Efforts for Ocean Wave, Tidal, and Current Energy Systems.

Finally, another ship, m/v Wilson Dvina – is expected alongside Hatston Pier at 0400hrs on Friday 1 October with an EMEC delivery. Having set off from Narvik, Norway, she is carrying a cargo of magnetite, a very dense aggregate, for use in the manufacture of blocks forming gravity base anchors. The gravity base anchors are one of the components for the new EMEC nursery sites we aim to have up and running next year. She will be unloaded by Currie Brothers Ltd, who are manufacturing the blocks, and sail at 2100hrs the same day.