Kish Bank 2D Survey and Shallow Borehole Sampling, 2012
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Kish Bank 2D Survey and Shallow Borehole Sampling, 2012 Environmental Risk Assessment Support Document to Foreshore Licence Application 19th Nov 2011 Client Providence Project Title Kish Bank 2D Survey and Shallow Borehole Sampling, 2012 Document Title Environmental Risk Assessment Document No. MGE0282RP002 DCS TOC Text List of Tables List of Figures No. of This Document Appendices Comprises 1 1 63 1 1 0 Rev. Status Author(s) Reviewed By Approved By Office of Origin Issue Date F01 Final J Massey Willie Madden Andrew Galway 4th May 2011 Stenson Client rd A03 Galway 3 Oct 2011 Approval F02 Final Galway 10th Oct 2011 F03 Final Galway 16th Nov 2011 Confidentiality statement: The information disclosed in this proposal should be treated as being strictly private and confidential and you are requested to take all reasonable precautions to maintain its status as such. You are requested to use and apply the information solely for the purpose of evaluating this proposal and are asked not at any time to disclose or otherwise make available the information to any third party except for those officers, employees and professional advisers who are required by you in the course of such evaluation to receive and consider the information and who agree to be bound by these non-disclosure terms. Kish Bank Survey ERA Table of Contents Executive Summary .............................................................................................i Project Description .......................................................................................................................i The Existing Environment.............................................................................................................i Summary of Environmental Hazards, Effects and Control Measures ......................................... iv Conclusions................................................................................................................................. v Habitat Directive Assessment Screening Conclusions ................................................................ v European Protected Species (Habitat Directive Annex IV species) Screening Conclusions....... vi 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................1 1.1 The Project .........................................................................................................................1 1.2 Licence Option 08/2............................................................................................................2 1.3 The Applicant .....................................................................................................................2 1.4 Environmental Risk Assessment ........................................................................................3 1.5 Structure of the Document..................................................................................................3 2 Project Description.......................................................................................4 2.1 Seismic Operations ............................................................................................................4 2.2 Proposed Seismic Programme ...........................................................................................5 2.3 Seismic Acquisition Method................................................................................................6 2.3.1 Acoustic Source .........................................................................................................6 2.3.2 Acoustic Detection......................................................................................................6 2.3.3 Other Acoustic Equipment..........................................................................................6 2.4 Sampling Methods..............................................................................................................7 2.4.1 Shallow Boreholes......................................................................................................7 2.4.2 Baseline and Habitat Information ...............................................................................7 2.5 Operational Safety..............................................................................................................7 3 The Existing Environment............................................................................8 3.1 Introduction.........................................................................................................................8 3.2 The Physical Environment ..................................................................................................8 3.3 The Biological Environment ..............................................................................................11 3.3.1 Benthic .....................................................................................................................11 3.3.2 Fish ..........................................................................................................................11 3.3.3 Marine Mammals ......................................................................................................14 3.3.4 Marine Reptiles ........................................................................................................20 3.3.5 Birds.........................................................................................................................20 3.4 Protected Sites and Coastal Sensitivities .........................................................................25 3.4.1 Marine Protected Sites .............................................................................................25 3.4.2 Coastal Protected Sites............................................................................................25 3.4.3 OSPAR Marine Protected Areas ..............................................................................28 3.4.4 Cultural Heritage and Protected Areas .....................................................................29 MGE0282RP002F06 i Kish Bank Survey ERA 3.5 Socio-Economic Activity ...................................................................................................30 3.5.1 Shipping ...................................................................................................................30 3.5.1.1 Navigation Assessment........................................................................................31 3.5.2 Commercial Fishing..................................................................................................31 3.5.3 Other Activities .........................................................................................................33 4 Hazards, Effects and Mitigation Measures................................................35 4.1 Introduction.......................................................................................................................35 4.2 Environmental Impact Assessment Methodology .............................................................35 4.2.1 Routine Operations ..................................................................................................35 4.2.2 Non-Routine Events .................................................................................................36 4.3 Hazard Identification, Impacts and Proposed Mitigation Measures...................................37 4.3.1 Identification of Interactions......................................................................................37 4.3.2 Physical Presence....................................................................................................37 4.3.3 Acoustic Emissions ..................................................................................................38 4.3.4 Atmospheric Emissions ............................................................................................50 4.3.5 Accidental Spills .......................................................................................................51 4.3.6 Other Minor Impacts.................................................................................................52 4.4 Assessment of Significance of Environmental Effects ......................................................53 4.5 Assessment of Significance of Navigational Effects .........................................................53 4.6 Habitats Directive Assessment of Significance of Effects (Screening)..............................53 4.7 European Protected Species Assessment of Significance of Effects (Screening) ............54 5 Environmental Management Plan..............................................................55 6 References..................................................................................................59 MGE0282RP002F06 ii Kish Bank Survey ERA Figures Figure 1.1: Location of Seismic Survey Area ..................................................................................1 Figure 2.1: Typical Seismic Operations which shows survey and support vessels ........................4 Figure 2.2: Map of the Survey showing the site survey lines in green and the extended 2D seismic line in red........................................................................................................................................5 Figure 3.1: Bathymetry of the survey site showing Kish Bank (generated by Providence from Admiralty Chart data)......................................................................................................................9