We are pleased to announce the launch of our online shipping constraints tool, SCOWT.
Harnessing the power of webGIS technology, SCOWT helps offshore developers de-risk projects from a navigation perspective.
Users of SCOWT can characterise shipping and navigation constraints within a given area, understand how navigation may be impacted and how existing sea use impinges on their project ambitions.
To help developers understand exactly what is driving constraint, a downloadable report is available that gives granular detail on the shipping constraints in a chosen area and un-packs them, factor-by-factor.
Site boundaries can be modified and directly compared, enabling developers to test scenarios without the need for specialist navigation knowledge or GIS skills.
Sitting behind the tool is NASH Maritime’s risk engine, a set of algorithms that score, weight and combine all the relevant data to provide an overall shipping constraint score.
Recognising that shipping and navigation can be a major constraint on development, we sought to provide direct access to our datasets and constraints modelling to empower developers to refine project boundaries and de-risk consenting decisions.
The platform was created with grant funding from the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership.
Jamie Holmes, Offshore Energy Lead at NASH Maritime, said;
“We’re really excited to be launching SCOWT. We listened to the sector and noted that although many shipping datasets are available, to make decisions you need to understand what the data means for your development.
“We recognised that by putting our knowledge directly in the hands of developers, they could make development decisions earlier and thanks to the support from the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership we could create this online tool.”
Claire Canning, Programme Manager at the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership, said;
“SCOWT is an innovative tool that enables offshore wind developers to better understand shipping and navigation constraints in and around prospective wind farm sites.
NASH Maritime successfully secured funding to develop SCOWT through our first Innovation Grant Competition focused on accelerating offshore wind site development and consenting.
We are delighted this platform is now commercially available to offshore wind customers, which will undoubtedly unlock exciting growth opportunities for NASH, both here in the UK and internationally.”
The launch of SCOWT adds to our existing portfolio of shipping, navigation and maritime risk services that support offshore energy projects throughout a development’s life cycle.
We expect the tool to be used by developers, consultants and regulators to understand navigation and shipping development constraints.
