TOW AND ANCHORAGE OF CENOVUS CONCRETE GRAVITY STRUCTURE
May 2, 2025
With construction of the Cenovus West White Rose Concrete Gravity Structure (CGS) completed at the Port of Argentia, the final phases of the project inshore marine scopes are approaching. The information below, and the attached maps, are for the information of harvesters as related to the upcoming movements of the CGS and associated operations.
Operations are subject to weather limitations. Dates are subject to change based on the weather and operational conditions.
Harvesters can expect frequent reminders and ongoing communication leading up to and during the CGS movements.
1. Tow of the CGS from the Graving Dock at the Port of Argentia to the Head of Placentia Bay (Big Shoal South, Southeast of Woody Island, Northeast of Bar Haven) (the Ballast Site)
The CGS will be towed from the graving dock at the Port of Argentia to the head of Placentia Bay (Big Shoal South) to finalize ballasting and commissioning activities. It will be towed by a fleet of vessels contracted for this specific purpose and will be anchored to a pre-installed inshore station keeping system of anchors and mooring lines.
Expected Start Date of the Tow Operation: Target date of May 10, weather permitting.
Duration of the Tow Operation: 24 hours (estimated)
Vessels Involved: Horizon Arctic, Atlantic Kestrel, DOF Minder, DOF Cutter, DOF Mover, Olympic Triton.
Prior to the start of the tow, the tow vessels will move into a standby area Southwest of Fox Island, to the North of the entrance to Argentia Harbour. The tow contractor anticipates the vessels would be standing by in this location for several hours before the tow commences.
Map of Tow Route with Coordinates: Maps of the tow route within Placentia Bay with waypoints is attached, along with a table of coordinates. The attached table gives the coordinates for all waypoints with the major waypoints in bold. The major waypoints are locations where the tow track will need to adjust direction in order to stay on the designated route, this adjustment, in most cases, will only be a couple of degrees to the left or right.
The swath of the tow is illustrated in the attached image.
Gear Removal: It is recognized that some harvesters may set their gear in and/or near the shipping lanes. To prevent any gear loss or entanglement with the tow fleet, harvesters are asked to remove their gear from the tow route at least 36 to 24 hours before the start of the tow. Harvesters will be notified as soon as the date is firm and will be reminded of the requested gear removal timeline, and advised of any changes, as the date approaches.
A Fisheries Guide Vessel (FGV) and a Fisheries Liaison Officer (FLO) have been contracted to participate in the tow operation. The FGV will survey the tow route for fishing activity in advance of the CGS movement, and will survey the route on a continuous basis during the towing operations. The FGV and FLO will provide on the water communications support for harvesters and will work to identify any gear in tow path (and endeavor to contact its owner for removal).
In the unfortunate event of gear loss or damage, there is a program for harvesters to be reimbursed for their lost or damaged gear attributable to the May and June 2025 CGS tow operations. Please contact Katie Power, Industry Relations Representative for more information at 709-576-7276 (w) / 709-330-0531 (c) or kpower@ffaw.ca
Updates during the tow operations (such as notices of any delays, etc.), will be sent to harvesters by FFAW-Unifor in addition to any regular vessel traffic notices.
Notice to Mariners will also be issued for continuous broadcast via marine VHF channel 16 by Coast Guard Radio for updates as the tow operations progress along the proposed route. The notice will be issued at least 48 hours prior to any CGS movement. In the event of any delays, a subsequent notice will be issued outlining the potential delay duration.
2. CGS Anchorage, Head of Placentia Bay (Big Shoal South, Southeast of Woody Island, Northeast of Bar Haven)
The CGS will be anchored at the head of Placentia Bay (Big Shoal South) for approximately 4-6 weeks, from approximately mid-May to mid/end of June to finalize ballasting and commissioning activities.
The anchors for the CGS were set by the vessel Skandi Mariner on April 28-30. A table wit anchor coordinates is also attached.
Surface Buoy Details:
Each mooring leg will be marked with a 10Te Balmoral MB23 modular surface buoy, yellow in colour, equipped with navigation lights flashing yellow every 4 seconds.
More details on the CGS Anchorage to come in the next email update.