Seatricity hires KML for Wave Hub decommissioning job

Wave energy company Seatricity has hired Keynvor MorLift (KML) to retrieve the mooring blocks used for Oceanus 2 deployment at Wave Hub.

Devon-based marine contractor KML has been hired to perform the lift and transfer of four 20-tonne positional mooring clumps from Wave Hub site to Hayle, Cornwall.

The mooring blocks have been used during the previous deployments of Seatricity’s Oceanus 2 wave energy device, which has already been retrieved from the Wave Hub test site.

Five mooring anchors have been placed at the site to allow for a variety of mooring configurations.

These consist of a single main reactive clump designed to provide the reactive anchor for an Oceanus 2 float, and four smaller clumps previously used to align the Oceanus 2 directly over the main reactive clump to counter lateral tidal effects at the site.

KML Severn Sea will conduct the pre-site survey with its on-board ROV, while Sarah Grey multicat vessel will be mobilized for the retrieval operation.

Subject to weather, the works are expected to take ten days and will begin on or after May 14, 2017, according to Wave Hub. The decommissioning operation is due to be completed by the end of May.

As reported earlier, Seatricity planned to continue the trials of Oceanus 2 wave energy device at Wave Hub in 2017, but due to delays with the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) grant funding, and the infrastructure decommissioning deadline, the future testing of Oceanus 2 device at Wave Hub remains uncertain.