The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
New acoustics deterrent will protect sealife
ADundee company is at the forefront of using acoustic deterrents to keep sea life away from offshore construction.
Ace Aquatec has partnered with Dutch firm Van Oord to bring a range of acoustic deterrents for offshore wind work to the market.
The Faunaguard range seeks to put the lowest amount of noise possible into the water, but enough to be effective.
Andrew Gillespie, who leads the Faunaguard project, said: “The devices emit sounds that are species-specific.
“All marine life is different – fish, turtles, seals and dolphins all hear at different ranges and at different sensitivities.
“We emit low volume complex sounds that make an area irritating and unattractive to them.
“It’s designed to be a temporary measure while construction work is going on.”
Van Oord first started the academic research behind the system 10 years ago and has since refined the sound characteristics for each animal.
It aims to help keep marine life away from dangerous construction. By doing so it can prevent costly stoppages.
So far the system has been used on offshore wind projects in France, the Netherlands and Italy.
Next year the company will have systems in Qatar, Azerbaijan and Germany.
It is also hoping to start winning work in Scotland.
Mr Gillespie said: “We are working with local regulators to provide this validation that will ensure the same environmentally-responsible systems are available to the Scottish market.
Faunaguard’s primary use has been for offshore wind installation, but it could also be utilised for oil and gas, decom, dredging and the safe disposal of unexploded ordinance.
The device complements Ace Aquatec’s range of innovative products for the aquaculture sector.
These include an electric in-water stunning device and biomass measurement that uses real 3D data.
In July 2020, Dundee tech duo Chris van der Kuyl and Paddy Burns – known for their part in making Minecraft a global success – invested in the firm.