IFC-1 · as a single purpose entity to develop a submarine fibre-optic cable system between Ireland and France. ... of Cork Harbour and then turning approximately south-southeast

Ireland-France Subsea Cable Limited

IFC-1

Marine survey scope of work for foreshore licence application, Loughbeg landfall

242080-00_SOW001

Issue 1 | 27 March 2017

This report takes into account the particular

instructions and requirements of our client.

It is not intended for and should not be relied

upon by any third party and no responsibility

is undertaken to any third party.

Job number 242080-00

Ove Arup & Partners Ireland Ltd

Arup

One Albert Quay

Cork

T12 X8N6

Ireland

www.arup.com

Ireland-France Subsea Cable Limited IFC-1 Marine survey scope of work for foreshore licence application, Loughbeg

landfall

242080-00_SOW001 | Issue 1 | 27 March 2017 | Arup

J:\242000\242080-00\4. INTERNAL\4-04 REPORTS\4-04-03 INFRASTRUCTURE\242080-00_SOW001_MARINE SURVEY SCOPE OF WORK_ISSUE1.DOCX

Contents Page

1 Introduction 1

2 General Requirements 1

2.1 Quality assurance 1

2.2 Health, Environment, and Safety 1

3 Marine survey scope of work 2

3.1 Survey area 2

3.2 Survey description 6

3.2.1 Shallow water survey 7

3.2.2 Inshore water survey 8

3.2.3 Diver swim survey 8

3.2.4 Landing site surveys 8

3.2.5 Burial Assessment Survey (BAS) 9

3.3 Operational requirements 10

3.3.1 Schedule 10

3.3.2 Vessels 10

3.3.3 Survey navigation 11

3.3.4 Operating permits 12

3.4 Survey Equipment 12

3.5 Mitigation measures 12


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Page 1

1 Introduction

Ireland-France Subsea Cable (IFSC) Limited was founded in Ireland in early 2015

as a single purpose entity to develop a submarine fibre-optic cable system

between Ireland and France.

IFSC propose to construct IFC-1, a submarine fibre-optic cable system that will

be the first and only direct subsea cable between Ireland and France. The IFC-1

system will be a state-of-the-art subsea cable and provide ultra-high capacity

transmission to telecommunication carriers, Internet companies and large

enterprises in Ireland looking for connectivity to continental Europe. For more

information visit www.ifc-1.com.

This document forms part of a foreshore licence application to the Department of

the Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government to undertake marine

survey works within the foreshore to support the route selection and design of the

IFC-1 project. The scope and methodology of the marine survey is described in

this document.

Once the marine survey works are completed, the routing and design of the IFC-1

project will be finalised for inclusion in a separate future foreshore licence

application for the cable installation works.

2 General Requirements

2.1 Quality assurance

The marine survey Contractor shall

operate Quality and Environmental Management Systems based on and

conforming to ISO9001:2008.

provide a Quality Management Plan for all the marine operations.

provide operational procedures for all the marine operations.

2.2 Health, Environment, and Safety

The marine survey Contractor shall operate International Safety Management

(ISM) and Health Environmental and Safety (HES) systems based on legislation

relevant to the proposed activities. The marine survey Contractor shall have an

overall Health, Safety, Security and Environmental (HSSE) plan for each stage of

all marine operations. The plan and shall cover all parties and operations.

Where required as a condition of permitting, the Contractor shall form and

comply with the obligations of an appropriate Environmental Management Plan.

All vessels shall comply with the latest International Maritime Organization

(IMO) and Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and environmental requirements for

http://www.ifc-1.com/


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their classification and with any national requirement of the territorial or

continental / EEZ waters to be operated in.

All vessels shall operate under a certificated Safety Management System (SMS)

that provides policies, procedures, and a framework for continuous improvement

to ensure the safety of personnel on-board.

All vessels shall comply with the International Convention for the Prevention of

Pollution from Ships 1973 MARPOL 73/78.

The vessel’s officers and crew shall comply with relevant merchant shipping

legislation. All personnel shall be made aware of their obligations under ISM and

HES regulations, and shall possess the appropriate protective clothing and safety

equipment.

The vessels provided by the marine survey Contractor shall be seaworthy, suitably

equipped for the Work as required for the scope of work and by the operational

procedures.

All survey works that involve the use of acoustic instrumentation will follow the

Code of Practice for Protection of Marine Mammals during Acoustic Seafloor

Surveys in Irish Waters.

An Underwater Archaeological Impact Assessment (UAIA) and associated

foreshore/intertidal and coastal assessment shall be carried out by suitably

qualified underwater archaeologist in advance of any site investigation, survey

works or trial pits. The results of the UAIA will be submitted to the Underwater

Archaeology Unit (UAU) of the National Monuments Service (NMS) for their

consideration prior to commencement of any works.

3 Marine survey scope of work

3.1 Survey area

The location of the area within the foreshore within which the marine survey

works will be carried out is shown in Figure 3.1. A table of the survey area co-

ordinates (to WGS-84) are provided in Table 1. The general basis for survey area

is a 500m wide survey corridor centred on the preliminary IFC-1 cable route,

extending from the high water mark (HWM) of the landfall site at Loughbeg in

Ringaskiddy to the 12 nautical-mile limit.


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Figure 3.1: Survey location

Northing Easting

51° 34.200’ N 8° 01.786’ W

51° 32.881’ N 8° 05.076’ W

51° 42.274’ N 8° 08.110’ W

51° 40.660’ N 8° 11.342’ W

51° 43.073’ N 8° 12.115’ W

51° 42.903’ N 8° 12.489’ W

51° 43.650’ N 8° 13.479’ W

51° 43.532’ N 8° 13.871’ W

51° 47.218’ N 8° 15.915’ W

51° 47.124’ N 8° 16.324’ W

51° 49.052’ N 8° 16.313’ W

51° 48.804’ N 8° 16.488’ W

51° 49.384’ N 8° 18.283’ W

Table 1: Survey Area Co-ordinates (to WGS-84)

Please refer to drawings 242080-00_CSK200 for further information.

The preliminary IFC-1 cable route extends from the landfall at Loughbeg, running

parallel to an existing outfall pipe, before turning south to pass through the mouth


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of Cork Harbour and then turning approximately south-southeast and crossing the

Kinsale Head Gas Pipeline to the 12 nautical-mile limit, and beyond that to the

North coast of France.

Figure 3.2 shows the preliminary route of the cable and survey area close to shore.

Figure 3.2: Survey Area close to shore

The Loughbeg landfall site was selected following a site selection process that

considered numerous landfall sites on the south coast of Ireland. The Loughbeg

landfall site was selected on the basis of an assessment against a combination of

terrestrial and maritime requirements including technical, geotechnical,

environmental, construction and economic factors. The site has particular benefits

given the ready availability of land for the cable landing termination kiosk

(located above the HWM) in an already-developed location and proximity to e-net

terrestrial and other fibre facilities at Ringaskiddy. Figure 3.3 to 3.5 show the

nature and characteristics of the landfall.

The IFC-1 cable routing and design will be finalised following completion of the

survey works.


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Figure 3.3: Photograph looking south along the landfall beach from cable

route (Hovione industrial facility visible on the right)

Figure 3.4: Photograph looking north along the landfall beach from cable

route at the HWM (DePuy industrial facility visible in the distance)

Figure 3.5: Photograph looking west (inland) from the HWM. The fibre optic

cable route onshore will be to the left of the existing path. (Hovione industrial

facility to the left).


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3.2 Survey description

The marine survey shall be used to confirm or amend the preliminary cable route

with regard to the optimum route for cable design, installation, burial, protection,

survivability and subsequent maintenance of the system. The assessment of data

acquired during the survey shall determine deviations from the initial proposed

route.

The Marine Survey shall produce sufficient data to allow decisions to be made

regarding the procedures for marine installation, cable armouring, cable slack,

additional protection and the extent of cable burial.

The Contractor shall carry out surveys, charting and reporting, which shall include

the identification, location, measurement, study, investigation and presentation of

the following:

general bathymetry

morphology and nature of the seabed

sea bottom and sub-bottom characteristics

sea bottom temperature and seasonal variations

surface, sub-surface and seabed current influences

seismic activity

turbidity currents

climatological conditions

in-service and out-of-service and planned pipelines

in-service and out-of-service and planned cables (including scientific,

telecommunication and power)

wrecks and other seabed hazards

The survey vessel used to survey the cable route will use a multi-beam echo

sounder (MBES) system. In shallower waters, the vessel will use a towed device

to facilitate Side Scan Sonar and a Sub-bottom Profiling. The position of this

towed device will be tracked acoustically using an ultra-short base line (USBL)

tracking system. The acoustic signal transmitted from the sub-bottom profiling

device will provide adequate resolution within the uppermost layers of sediment.

A magnetometer will be carried on-board for use in the event that additional

investigations (of pipelines, cables etc.) are required. The collection of sediment

samples shall be undertaken along the route using grab sampling devices.

Analysis of these samples will help determine information about the soil in the

subsurface at a specific location.

Hull mounted or towed swath bathymetry systems shall be used to obtain

continuous recordings centred on the preliminary routes. Additional sounding

lines may be required to develop any features that may be encountered. All

soundings shall be corrected for the speed of sound in seawater and recorded in

metres. In each area, the width of the corridor shall be as set out in Table 2 below.


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Survey Area Minimum corridor width

Shallow Water 15m-1000m 500 m

Inshore Area <15m

100m at landing point expanding to 500 m at 15 m water depth

Table 2: Minimum Survey Corridor Widths

Overlaps are required between surveys performed by different vessels or

equipment. The minimum overlap within the foreshore area shall be 500 metres

between the Inshore Water and Shallow Water surveys.

3.2.1 Shallow water survey

A multibeam swathe bathymetry survey shall be undertaken. The multibeam

swathe bathymetry system (MBES) shall have a real-time display capable of 50m

depth resolution, or better, and a bathymetric accuracy of 1% of water depth, or

better. The MBES equipment shall be integrated with the vessels navigation

system.

In areas where the main survey vessel is not able to operate, usually shallower

waters, a smaller survey vessel equipped with similar equipment (side scan sonar,

sub-bottom profiler, echo sounder) will be used to determine any potential

engineering constraints to the cable route within the 500m corridor.

Swath bathymetric, side scan sonar and shallow geological data shall be collected

simultaneously. A minimum overlap of 20% shall be maintained for the

multibeam data.

Sufficient survey lines shall be undertaken to identify a usable corridor centred on

the preliminary route and to determine the positions and status of all pipelines,

any cables, obstructions or potential obstructions.

Side scan sonar with seafloor mapping shall be used to locate and identify all

artificial and natural seabed features. The minimum operating frequency of the

side scan sonar shall be, 100kHz. A 50% overlap between swathes shall be

achieved over the entire route.

A high resolution sub-bottom profiler (SBP) shall be used to determine the

thickness and nature of the sediments. In most areas, this information is needed in

the top 2 metres of seabed with optimisation of data in the top metre of seabed.

However, in some areas where specific burial requirements are in place the

optimised information is needed down to the specific depth of sediments, as a

minimum.

The method for SBP will be the use of a towed fish with the transmit and receive

mounted in the same fish as the seabed mapping equipment. All hull mounted

SBP equipment will be fully motion compensated.

Cone Penetrometer Tests (CPTs) and seabed samples shall be taken as necessary

to aid interpretation of the sub-bottom profile data. The maximum number of


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samples shall be determined based on an average interval of 4 km. Core samples

shall be attempted first at any location. However, if a core sample has not been

obtained after three (3) attempts then, a grab sample shall be attempted. For CPTs,

where the penetration is less than would be expected from the geophysical

interpretation, a second CPT attempt must be made.

Seabed sampling will be undertaken using a gravity corer/vibrocorer and grab

sampler. The corer will have minimum recovery capability of 4 metres. The grab

sampler will be deployed if gravity core recovery is not possible. Cores will be

undertaken, on average, every 10 km along the route to the maximum predicted

depth for burial.

A magnetometer search within the survey corridor is required to determine the

presence and location of in-service or out-of-service cables and/or pipelines not

positively located and identified by other means. If, after all reasonable

endeavours are made to locate a charted cable or pipeline, it cannot be detected,

an action plan shall be agreed before the survey proceeds.

3.2.2 Inshore water survey

Swath bathymetric, side scan sonar and shallow geological data shall be collected

simultaneously. A minimum overlap of 20% shall be maintained for the

multibeam data. Sufficient survey lines shall be undertaken to identify a usable

corridor of 500 metres wide centred on the preliminary route.

A high resolution sub-bottom profiler shall be used to determine the thickness and

nature of the sediments. In most areas, this information is required in the top 2

metres of seabed. However in some areas with specific burial requirements, the

information may be required down to the appropriate depth of sediments.

The requirements for seabed sampling and use of magnetometer are generally the

same as for the shallow water survey mentioned above except that samples will be

taken at a greater frequency to ensure adequate coverage in inshore areas.

3.2.3 Diver swim survey

A diver swim team equipped with cameras will be used to identify any potential

hazards and constraints for the cable at the shore approaches.

In water depths of less than 3 metres, a diver swim survey shall be carried out to

establish a corridor centred on the proposed cable route free of any obstructions. It

shall determine the nature of the seabed and identify and locate any obstructions.

The inshore diver swim shall be undertaken along the proposed post-survey cable

route.

3.2.4 Landing site surveys

The area around the landing point will be surveyed using land survey techniques

to position all relevant features. The beach manhole is likely to be located at the

cable landing termination kiosk, 100m inland from the HWM.


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The beach shall be probed to a depth of 3 metres to determine sediment thickness

except at locations where special requirements exist.

The sampling required on the beach may require a number of trial pits spread

between the low and high water marks. The trial pits will be excavated using a

mechanical excavator, logged, photographed and backfilled.

The landing site surveys shall be carried out over a 100 metre wide corridor

centred on the proposed route.

3.2.5 Burial Assessment Survey (BAS)

The BAS shall be performed during or immediately following the Marine Survey

in the areas assessed during the marine survey.

The objective of the Burial Assessment Survey (BAS) is to assess the burial

feasibility of the route selected i.e. to determine its suitability for the simultaneous

laying and burial of the cable.

The BAS shall assess that part of the route that has been surveyed and determined

suitable for burial, either by plough or by another tool, of the submerged plant.

The BAS shall include the measurement, study and investigation of the following:

Burial conditions.

Cable armouring and protection.

Recommendation for installation procedures.

Updated Straight Line Diagrams and Route Position Lists.

Reporting and Charting.

The data obtained from the BAS shall allow for the cable route to be amended

within the surveyed corridor in order to allow improved protection of the System,

by increasing the length of the route that can be buried, and/or enhance the depth

of burial achievable including alternative methods of burial. The BAS shall also

provide additional information to assist in cable type selection. Finally, the BAS

may provide information to assist in the engineering, installation and subsequent

maintenance of the submerged plant.

The BAS shall be undertaken based on the CPT tests and coring undertaken as

outlined above.

The BAS shall be undertaken as close to the landings as is safe and practicable

and at least as close as the 10m contour.

In all circumstances, no towed or penetrative equipment shall be used within a

security distance of 500m from any known pipeline or in-service submarine cable.


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3.3 Operational requirements

3.3.1 Schedule

The survey works shall be carried out between June and September inclusive.

The marine survey Contractor shall prepare a detailed marine survey schedule in

advance of the works. The schedule shall include appropriate weather

contingency.

3.3.2 Vessels

The marine survey shall be carried out from dedicated vessels able to operate in

deep and shallow water as required. Shallow draught vessels shall be required for

operating in the inshore waters at the approaches to the landfalls.

The vessels shall conform to the following minimum requirements as appropriate:

1. station-keeping and sea keeping capabilities for the specified Work at the

proposed time of year. The marine survey Contractor may provide

supplemental tug assistance where such assistance will benefit the

operation;

2. endurance (e.g. fuel, water, stores, etc.) to undertake the Work in

accordance with the Plan of Work;

3. staffing to allow all planned work to be carried out as a continuous

operation (on a 24 hour per day basis for the offshore activities and on a

12 hour per day basis for the inshore activities);

4. equipment and spares with necessary tools for all specified works;

The marine survey Contractor shall be responsible for all shipboard systems and

equipment calibration and re-calibration, including spares. For every 30 days of

operations the vessel will accrue one day of maintenance time.

Vessels used for surveys will be sound and capable of remaining safely at sea for

a minimum period of thirty (30) days under weather conditions normally to be

encountered in the Marine Survey area at the time of year that the operations are

to take place.

Vessels shall have breadth and draft of suitable proportions to provide adequate

stability for the duration of the intended operation. The vessels shall be capable of

passage speeds in excess of ten (10) knots and extended survey operations at

speeds less than two (2) knots.

Vessels shall be equipped with the following communication facilities as a

minimum:

Multi-channel VHF R/T capable of working all frequencies.

Vessel Shore R/T capable of operating with any shore station in the survey

area and with a range of two hundred (200) miles.


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Inmarsat A or M system.

Fax and e-mail, both capable of communicating between the survey vessel

and land.

Voice communications between the navigation bridge, survey room and

back deck. The use of walkie-talkie radios operating on a private channel

is acceptable.

Vessels shall be equipped with the following navigational equipment exclusive of

special survey equipment:

Gyro and magnetic compass with gyro input into the navigation computer

unless a separate specific gyrocompass is fitted for survey purposes

Marine radar (stabilized/interfaced to a gyrocompass)

Echo sounder with hull mounted transducer (or equivalent)

Auto Pilot

Bridge control of engines and thrusters

Marine sextant.

Vessels shall carry, as a minimum, an up to date corrected set of nautical charts

covering the port of mobilization, passage to and from the survey site and any

other area of operations together with charts, to the largest scale appropriate, of

nearby ports of refuge. In addition, vessels shall carry up to date pilot books,

almanacs, light lists, radio signals, etc.

Vessels shall be classed by a recognized classification society and all certification

required by that society shall be up to date.

3.3.3 Survey navigation

Each vessel shall have fully adequate navigational and positioning capability and

have a global positioning system (GPS) capable of real-time vessel positioning

with an accuracy of better than +/- 10 meters at all times.

All navigation equipment and instrumentation will be calibrated and used

correctly. Calibration and/or verification shall be repeated in the event of any

equipment malfunction, which may nullify earlier calibrations and/or

verifications.

Qualified surveyors will be used to operate the navigation and positioning

equipment continuously throughout the survey while maintaining a continuous log

of all navigation activities throughout the survey.

Sufficient survey and positioning spares and consumables will be provided to

enable the survey to be completed without any degradation of navigation and

positioning quality and effectiveness and without the need to return to port to

acquire additional equipment.


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A precision dual frequency digital echo sounder capable of operating in the water

depths throughout the survey area, given the expected seabed soil conditions shall

be used. Both transducers (frequencies) shall be enabled unless the water depths

are beyond the specified range of the higher frequency transducer. In such

circumstances the low frequency transducer only shall be used. A speed of sound

profiler capable of measuring the speed of sound throughout the water column and

to the maximum water depth in the survey area shall be provided. For the duration

of the survey the speed of sound in the echo sounder shall be set at 1,500m/sec.

An Ultra Short Base Line (USBL) positioning system shall be capable of tracking

multiple targets throughout the water column and on the seabed both directly

below the survey vessel and offset from the survey vessel.

3.3.4 Operating permits

The marine survey Contractor shall obtain and comply will all necessary marine

operational permits including routine and customary vessel/crew/equipment

clearances from Customs Agencies, Port Authorities, Marine Survey Office, etc.

In particular, the marine survey Contractor shall maintain close liaison with the

Port of Cork while within their functional area.

3.4 Survey Equipment

The survey equipment acoustic properties will be as follows:

Equipment Frequency

(Energy level in dB re 1uPa) Dual Frequency Single Beam Echosounder 33 and 210kHz (168-213)

Shallow water Multibeam Echo Sounder 455kHz (224)

Dual Frequency Side Scan Sonar 100 and 450kHz (235)

USBL 25kHz (202)

Sub-bottom Profiler 2-7.5kHz (205-220)

The survey vessel characteristics will be as follows:

Vessel

Length

(LOA)

Water Depths used Vessel Speed

6-10m 3-15m 3-6 knots dependent on equipment

used >40m 15m+

Details of the exact survey vessel and equipment characteristics shall be made

available prior to commencement of the surveys works. This data will include

contact details for the vessel Captain and full detail of the survey equipment

acoustic properties.

3.5 Mitigation measures

All survey works that involve the use of acoustic instrumentation will follow the

Code of Practice for Protection of Marine Mammals during Acoustic Seafloor


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Surveys in Irish Waters. Measures to be implemented include but are not limited

to:

A qualified and experienced marine mammal observer (MMO) shall be

appointed to monitor for marine mammals and to log all relevant events

using standardised data forms

Pre start monitoring: If marine mammal species are detected within 500m

distance of the sound source, seismic survey shall not commence.

Periods of peak sensitivity to survey operations for marine mammals will

be avoided where possible.

Ramp-up Procedures will be used - a controlled build-up of acoustic

energy output shall occur in consistent stages to provide a steady and

gradual increase over the ramp-up period.

An Underwater Archaeological Impact Assessment (UAIA) and associated

foreshore/intertidal and coastal assessment shall be carried out by suitably

qualified underwater archaeologist in advance of any site investigation, survey

works or trial pits. The results of the UAIA will be submitted to the Underwater

Archaeology Unit (UAU) of the National Monuments Service (NMS) for their

consideration prior to commencement of any works.

All geophysical survey shall be undertaken to the specifications and resolutions

that allow for the identification of underwater cultural heritage.

Documents

IFC-1 · as a single purpose entity to develop a submarine fibre-optic cable system between Ireland and France. ... of Cork Harbour and then turning approximately south-southeast