The French-flagged vessel Abeille Marengo will continue seabed surveys between Kasos and Cyprus ahead of laying the cable for the Great Sea Interconnector, the electricity link between Cyprus and Greece, the Hellenic Coast Guard announced on Wednesday, according to the Greek website energypress.
An application has already been submitted for “marine research for the installation of submarine direct current cables” as part of the Crete-Cyprus interconnection, the announcement said. It seeks an exemption allowing the specialised research vessel to operate in the parts of the survey area that fall within national territorial waters.
The issuing of a Navtex by the Greek authorities is now expected within days.
The survey will use a multibeam echo sounder (MBES), side-scan sonar (SSS), a magnetometer and video to record seabed conditions in detail along the entire route, so that the best final route can be chosen for laying the cables.
Geotechnical core samples will be taken at depths of up to 700 metres below the sea surface to determine how the cables will be protected on the seabed.
The vessel will notify the Hydrographic Service, the Submarine Command and the relevant Coast Guard authority 72 hours before work begins and then daily, providing all necessary information, including coordinates, a description of the work and the required safety distance.
