The Chamber of Shipping responds to leasing announcements from the Crown Estate regarding the construction of offshore windfarms around the UK

The Chamber of Shipping fully supports the government’s policy to encourage properly planned, well coordinated offshore renewable developments, recognising that renewable energy is a vital part of the power generation mix in a low carbon future. 

The Chamber also acknowledges and welcomes the fact that these developments may offer new business opportunities for ports, survey vessels, offshore construction and support vessels, jack-up rigs, maintenance vessels and cable layers.

However, the Chamber is keen to highlight that some of the leased zones that have been offered by the Crown Estates are sited in areas of significant shipping activity, and as a result any development will need to be carefully considered.

Developers must respect the safety of navigation and work to cause minimal disruption to shipping routes while meeting the UK’s commitment to follow the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Saurabh Sachdeva, Nautical Consultant at the Chamber of Shipping comments:

“The shipping industry is currently faced with a rapidly developing renewable energy industry, which if badly conceived, could result in hundreds of turbine structures obstructing shipping routes, or in the worst instance, could lead to a major disaster.”
 
He adds: “More than 90% of our trade is moved by sea, so ignoring the shipping industry’s concerns could have serious consequences for vessel safety and our ability to trade with the rest of the world on a competitive cost basis”.

The Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) states that ‘site selection [should be] made with a view to avoiding or minimising disruption or economic loss to the shipping and navigation industry’s...’

With this in mind, the Chamber will work with the administrations, regulators, policymakers and the developers to devise a sensible and pragmatic way forward which respects the needs of shipping and meets the requirements of this growing industry. 

The Chamber of Shipping is keen to engage in any positive negotiations that would help developers in determining as to whether a site or zone is feasible or not from shipping industry’s perspective.

To assist with this process and as a result of several approaches in the past, the Chamber has compiled a list of useful information that should be compiled before engaging in any consultation.

A developer should provide:

•          clear co-ordinates and details of the size, shape and location of the Lease Option Area or  the site within the area or any other proposed development (and in due course the  Demonstration and/or Commercial Site as appropriate);

•          shipping data, traffic information and impact on the commercial viability of blocking that area for sub-surface navigation;

•          a clear description of any navigational risks, including how the developer intends to comply with Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s existing guidance/regulations;

•          where the developer’s research has established that an Offshore Renewable Energy Installation (OREI) site is close to or crossed by shipping routes, then the developer should provide clear assessment of the site and offer initial proposals on how they intend to alleviate the impact on shipping industry.

Developers should also consult the documents referred to in Annex 1, as these outline the regulations and guidance relating to OREI sites around the UK.  Click here to read Annex 1.