Following pressure from the MYA, RYA and East Coast Pilot, London Array has had special buoyage installed by Trinity House to mark the rock “berms” which were dumped over the electricity cables on Kentish Flats leaving less than a metre depth at low tide. Following a further request from the MYA, the southernmost buoy was replaced with a large south cardinal (see photo) and a north cardinal buoy was also installed.
See lal-n-to-m-amendment-to-buoyage-at-kentish-flats-britned-and-gunfleet-sands-1
See also http://www.rya.org.uk/newsevents/news/Pages/Theimpactofrockbermsonnavigationalsafety.aspx
Quite frankly, we should be asking to see their risk assessment. It would seem they haven’t considered the risk to the public at all. Any risk which could result in multiple fatalities should have been designed out. Putting a few buoys around a man made hazard isn’t the correct solution.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/lwit/assets/downloads/hierarchy-risk-controls.pdf
Let us tell London Array to build a lighthouse to mark their hazard and they will quickly lay the cables in a proper manner, ie deeper, under the existing cables.
They should have at least acknowledged their error by naming the buoys ‘London Array Folly North’ etc.