Precision Marine Survey Ltd (PMSL) is a multi-disciplinary marine consultancy providing integrated data acquisition, analysis and assessment for offshore marine, coastal and estuarine development, commercial fisheries and marine conservation. Specialising in commercial fisheries and fisheries liaison, PMSL provides advice and expertise to support offshore marine developments, including renewable energy projects. This work includes the provision and management of offshore fisheries liaison representatives and guard vessels.
Scope of work: Precision Marine Survey Limited was contracted to Sofia to support the project with fisheries liaison and associated consultancy services. A fundamental component of the service is the provision of day-to-day liaison with fisheries stakeholders. The aim is to ensure that all offshore elements of Sofia’s pre-construction and construction activities are undertaken safely and with minimal disruption to both the project and commercial fishing activities.
Whilst working alongside the Sofia consents team, broader project team and project engineers, PMSL assisted in the development of the Fisheries Liaison Plan and the Co-Existence Plan for the construction and operational phases of Sofia. Having undertaken comprehensive consultation with fisheries stakeholders, PMSL also provided specialist advice for the implementation of a commercial fisheries compensation strategy, facilitating the relocation of static fishing gear prior to the project's 2020 site investigation.
Economic and employment impact: PMSL’s continued involvement on Sofia throughout 2020 has, despite the difficult restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, allowed the company to maintain it staffing levels, at a time when much of its core business has been subject to restrictions. This has meant that key PMSL staff have been able to continue in their roles without significant impact, and that the time and energy invested by PMSL through training has not been lost.
Training and development: Working on Sofia has enabled key PMSL project staff to further expand their expertise and knowledge of the local and wider international fisheries and has increased their understanding of the pre-construction activities associated with the development of renewable energy offshore. A direct result of the successful conclusion to the site investigation campaign in 2020 is that PMSL and the Sofia team continue to improve the already positive relationship with the fisheries stakeholders.
"The award of the contract for fisheries liaison services for the Sofia OWF has been extremely important to PMSL and working on such a flagship project has allowed us to maintain our portfolio within the offshore renewable energy sector and enhance our reputation within the industry. Given the difficult times we currently face with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic (and associated economic impacts), the ability to maintain our staff levels has ensured that the services we offer our clients can be maintained to the highest standards."
- Nigel Proctor, Managing Director, Precision Marine Survey Limited
October 2020
