ASL advances metocean studies with PBM-15 polyethylene buoys
ASL recently acquired three Mesemar PBM-15 polyethylene buoys for a major metocean study being undertaken as part of a client project. These buoys adhere to the recommendations of the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) and are constructed from high-quality rotomoulded virgin polyethylene, filled with closed-cell expanded polyurethane foam.
The buoys are well-suited for deep-water sites where extreme weather conditions demand a more robust buoy for metocean data collection. They boast the capability to incorporate an internal ballast weight for enhanced stability and high shock resistance.
After their successful recovery in the spring of 2024, ASL plans to add these buoys to its lease pool, making them available to future clients, particularly for measuring directional waves in offshore environments. This supports the development of offshore wind farms and other marine renewable energy projects where stable and reliable data collection over extended periods is crucial.
The PBM-15 offers a sturdy platform suitable for harsh offshore conditions or a stable platform in more protected waterways. This platform can be easily configured to meet client monitoring needs and accommodate client-customized instrument packages. These buoys are intended to broaden ASL’s existing shallow-water wave monitoring services to include deep-water directional wave studies for site assessment, numerical modelling studies, engineering design criteria, extremal analysis and other applications. Examples of data collection include, but are not limited to, directional waves, wind, barometric pressure and custom solutions.
More information on these buoys is available here.
