Marine protection at Seaview Wharf

BPC employed a ‘bubble curtain’ to protect dolphins and other marine creatures in Wellington harbour during piling operations for the Seaview Energy Resilience Project site.

The bubbles act as an acoustic screen, reducing the transmission of underwater noise generated by the piling works and protecting whales and dolphins from distress and hearing damage.

On site monitoring has shown that the use of the bubble curtain reduces the area of influence from piling noise from over 2km down to less than 10m.

Bubble tubing technology creates a vertical wall of fine air bubbles. The bubble curtain is weighted to the seabed and air is pumped through the tube using a compressor. The self-cleaning ability of the tubing means that the installations can be kept in situ and there is no requirement to introduce cleaning products.

BPC employed other environmental protections on the Seaview project, including the use of Marine Mammal Observers to alert site teams when dolphins were spotted nearby. Local Rotary Club volunteers were trained for the roles, with the money they were paid being invested into local community projects.

Before site work began on the project, BPC worked in partnership with the Department of Conservation and Greater Wellington Regional Council to re-house penguins and put protections in place to deter them from returning. Everyone was delighted to see penguins nesting in the alternative homes and welcoming new chicks throughout the project.