Important Advancement in Safety from the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation Horizon Watch – Collaboration Before Construction
The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) has launched an innovative new online platform designed to help make our seas safer for all sea users, known as Horizon Watch.
The idea was born out of discussions held during regular stakeholder engagement meetings between Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks SSEN and SFF.
Working with SSEN Marine Consents specialists, SFF identified numerous challenges in sharing accurate information on the location of early stage ‘proposed’ submarine cable routes. The main challenge was identifying areas of fishing interest to minimise disruption.
The SFF works closely with KIS-ORCA (www.kis-orca.org/map) - the universal source of subsea cable information for sea users. However, this project does not include cable route information whilst in the planning / design stage, with cable routes already agreed when they are included on KIS-ORCA.
A gap in the market was identified for a platform that would both tap into the knowledge of the SFF and fishers, whilst encouraging cable route feedback at the design stage – earlier in the cable planning process than would normally occur.
Now, through the platform available via the SFF website, commissioned project cable routes are available to download for use on fishing vessels, at the earliest possible time during cable route design. Horizon watch compliments existing awareness projects, with cable route information removed as soon as they are as-laid and displayed on KIS-ORCA.
SSEN Lead Marine Consents Manager, Subsea Cables, Robin Burnett said:
“We recognised this was an important advancement for safety for all sea users by providing instant information on the location of subsea cables, which is beneficial for key stakeholders such as the SFF and their constituent association members, while also helping to ensure we are continually working to protect assets across the subsea network.”
SFF Industry Advisor Andrew Innes said:
“Horizon Watch is free to the end users, providing up-to-date, accurate information on the location of new and proposed subsea cables. This is hugely beneficial when consulting with fishing communities and mitigating fishing concerns during the design of subsea cable routes.
The launch of the Horizon Watch section on our website resulted in a 52% increase of online traffic. This platform is an industry-backed initiative endorsed by the eight constituent associations under the SFF umbrella, alongside regional inshore fisheries groups. By collaborating closely with KIS-ORCA and Kingfisher Bulletin, we see this as the new benchmark for how proposed subsea cable information will be shared - enabling pre-installation feedback, minimising disruptions and costs to operators, and safeguarding fishers’ interests alike.
We would also like to thank SSEN for working collaboratively with SFF to help shape the development of this platform. This support will now enable cable owners across multiple sectors to prioritise the safety of sea users.”
