Improving Spain's Oceans Quality
The health and safety of Spain's oceans will improve with the addition of several new ocean monitoring solutions provided by Canada's AXYS Technologies Inc. (AXYS) and its Spanish partner, SIDMAR. The projects described below represent three new distinct wins awarded to AXYS and SIDMAR Bernhard Pack S.L. (SIDMAR).
To alleviate drinking water shortages, several Mediterranean countries have taken to installing desalination plants. While the resulting fresh drinking water is much needed, desalination of seawater has two major direct impacts on the environment: high energy consumption and discharge of concentrated brine waste into the sea. If these brine discharges are not properly diluted, they can form highly concentrated benthic bands which can negatively impact the local marine environment. Through the ASDECO project (www.proyectoasdeco.com), SIDMAR and AXYS will jointly design, deliver and maintain a WatchKeeper buoy. This buoy is outfitted with several water quality sensors which, through the use of an effective telemetry solution offering hourly data transmission, can provide the Spanish government confidence and reassurance that the desalination plants are operating as designed.
Spain's Port Authority (Puertos del Estado) is mandated to provide localized, mission-critical sea-state information. This information allows mariners the confidence to make timely and accurate decisions regarding vessel traffic management within Spanish ports. To support and expand this mandate, Puertos del Estado has purchased and recently deployed four (4) new TRIAXYS directional wave buoys. Two of these buoys will be deployed in Algeciras Bay. A third will be deployed in Tenerife (Canary Islands), replacing a competitor's buoy. The fourth buoy will be designed as a replacement and maintenance system, ready to spring into action if needed. With these additions, the number of TRIAXYS directional wave buoys within the Puertos del Estado coastal network expands to ten. The service contract for maintaining this world-class coastal monitoring network is managed by SIDMAR.
One of the major challenges that now face EU water and environmental authorities is the implementation of Directive 2000/60/EC, known as the "Directiva Marco de Agua" (Water Framework Directive), or DMA. The goal of the DMA is to achieve 'good ecological status' of all water bodies in the European Union by 2015. Spain's state government in Cantabria has responded to this and has awarded Spanish company Cuevas Gestion de Obras S.L., and consequently SIDMAR and AXYS, with a contract for two met-ocean buoys. AXYS' WatchKeeper buoys were once again selected from a competitive process, based on their ability to be customized to meet the DMA requirements. The key benefit however is to Spain's government, which now has equipment, data and increased confidence to show all stakeholders that it is doing its part to help monitor and improve the health of its oceans.
