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Hydrophone Array – Cetacean Monitoring (Atlantic Canada)

Proposal #3 · Submitted 2026-08-06
100
Recommend Approval
Strong financial return with acceptable payback period and positive NPV.
Requestor
Name
Priya Mehta
Email
Role
Marine Environment Manager
Region
Americas – Canada East
Business Unit
Marine & Coastal
Proposal
Description

6-unit cabled hydrophone array with real-time PAMGuard signal processing for cetacean presence/absence monitoring on offshore wind pre-construction surveys. Replaces ad-hoc vessel charter model.

Strategic Rationale

Mandatory MMPA and SARA acoustic monitoring on 3 contracted offshore wind projects starting Jan 2027. Self-ownership vs vessel charter saves £95k over project term.

Approver Information
Urgency
Critical – project start date fixed
Risk Level
Low
Risk Description
Technology proven; risk is logistics of subsea deployment in winter conditions.
Alternatives Considered
Charter model retains optionality but carries 3x cost over project life.
Vendor / Supplier Shortlist
Ocean Instruments NZ, RTsys, Kongsberg Maritime
Implementation Timeline
6 months
Dependencies
Offshore project contracts signed (confirmed)
Regulatory Requirement
Yes – SARA and MMPA compliance
Carbon / Sustainability Impact
Reduces vessel charter days by ~40, saving approx 18 tCO2e
Financial Metrics
CapEx £142,000
Annual OpEx Change –£48,000
Annual Benefit £55,000
Useful Life 8 yrs
Payback Period 1.38 yrs
ROI (life-of-project) 480.3%
NPV £438,836
ROIU (yr 1) 72.5%
Cumulative Return (£)
YearCumulative (£)
Yr 1 £47,069
Yr 2 £40,424
Yr 3 £121,064
Yr 4 £195,386
Yr 5 £263,886
Yr 6 £327,019
Yr 7 £385,206
Yr 8 £438,835
Committee Decision
Current status: Pending