Borkumer Stenen

This is formerly fishing vessel Friendship, homeport Terschelling and that happens to be my personal homeport as well. I am glad this vessel is part of this job. Her task is a joint effort with our tug. To protect the seals and other mammals against ear damage. Hammering piles underwater needs a tremendous amount of energy transported from the hammer to the pile. The side effect of this is that it makes an awful lot of noise underwater. Probably more than a tiny ear of a seal can bear. Therefore we have a big microphone hanging underneath our ship at a depth of 20 meters and are transmitting sounds which seals don't like. Just to check if we're transmitting effectively, the Friendship does sound measuring to control our signal. If it works? I don't know. We are doing this work offshore for forty years now in the most delicate areas, and this is the first time I see such a device. You thought the North Sea is polluted and dirty area? Check THIS map and you'll be surprised how an important area the North Sea really is. By the way: the area we are working right now is called : the Borkumer Stenen (Stones of Borkum) and the coordinates are roughly 54 N and 6 E