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2023 Marine Interns Blog Week 2: Visiting Our Partner Companies & National Marine Week

Over the past week, we spent some time visiting The Crown Estate and Ørsted, where we were able to gain a better insight into each company.

As mentioned in our previous blog post, we will be working alongside partner companies, The Crown Estate, Ørsted, and Natural England throughout the duration of our internship. Over the past week, we had the opportunity to visit both The Crown Estate and Ørsted’s offices in London, where we attended several training sessions and an exciting Q&A with Dan Labbad, the CEO of The Crown Estate. We were thankful that Labbad gave us some of his time, and it was a great opportunity to learn about his career path, and vision for the company. It was particularly interesting (and reassuring) to hear that sustainability had always been a passion of his, and has been kept at the forefront of his mind throughout his career.

During our time at The Crown Estate, we also had the chance to learn more about the Marine Data Exchange (MDE). Developed in 2013 as the first of its kind, the MDE manages marine industry survey data, research and evidence. It contains over 250 terabytes of survey data collected throughout the lifecycle of UK offshore projects as well as new research that addresses evidence gaps, from marine mammals to engineering design. By making this data publicly available, The Crown Estate wants to drive the sustainable development of the seabed, while protecting the UK’s precious marine environment for future generations.

We were also given an introduction to the Ørsted office in London, where we were able to meet some of our peers and get a tour of the building. It was interesting to gain a better understanding of the different teams within Ørsted, including the onshore team (who are often forgotten about when considering offshore wind!). Speaking with Hornsea 3’s onshore manager, we were able to expand our knowledge on the construction process onshore, focusing around the installation of cable routes. I found it particularly thought-provoking to learn about the relationship between offshore wind farms and landowners, and the measures used to ensure both parties are satisfied with construction.

Most importantly, we were able to see the beautiful views of London’s skyline from each of the offices, which we were obviously very excited about.

Sian and Jasmine on Orsted terrace

It’s National Marine Week! Learn more about our favourite East Coast species…

This week is the first week of National Marine Week. The focus this year is on the unsung heroes of the marine world – we owe a lot to the oceans and its marine life so the next two weeks are dedicated to them! There are lots of activities you can get involved with, check out the link below to find out what events are in your local area.

https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/national-marine-week

Here’s a little about our favourite marine species living in the North Sea, have you ever spotted one?

Gannet

A gannet pictured by Sian

Sian: “I thought I would take this opportunity to highlight one of my favourite species living on The North East coast, the northern gannet! Each year, thousands of northern gannets migrate from West Africa to our coastline to breed and nest. Bempton Cliffs in Yorkshire is a favourite spot of theirs, and I was lucky enough to visit them last year and watch them in action; diving into the sea for fish performing aerial displays on the cliffside. One of my favourite things about gannets is their loyalty, as they mate for life. This means that each year when they return back to their breeding colony (also known as a gannetry) they will find one another amongst thousands of other gannets… How romantic is that!”

grey seal at Donna Nook

Jasmine: “The grey seal (translated to “hook-nosed sea pig” from Latin!) is seen across the North Sea, particularly at Donna Nook in Lincolnshire where grey seals come to the coastline to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes. A fun fact is that Britain has about 40% of the world population of grey seals! Grey seals have excellent hearing and vision, and can dive up to 1,560 feet for as long as one hour, that’s impressive!”

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