Activities during the construction phase

The period during which the offshore wind farm was built were filled with activity, with construction vessels, boats and barges sailing to and from the farm on a regular basis. The din from the construction vessels will mixed with the pounding of the pile driver. It is certain that many animals were disturbed during this phase of the project and abandonded the area. But one can also imagine that many an inquisitive seal returned to the site, curious to see what was going actually on. When the dust settles and the noisy boats have left, it is expected that most of the animals will return to the area. Thus, the relatively brief construction phase will not have any long-term effects on the area.

When the pile driver were in full swing it  produced high levels of underwater noise. Seals and porpoises were able to hear this, and the extent to which marine animals – especially the seals and porpoises – were affected by such din will be evaluated. Elsam collaborated with specialists to ensure that the noise factor was taken into account during the construction phase. Therefore the animals were purposely frightened so that they would leave the area during the pile driving phase.