New mooring buoy deployed in the Koster fjord
Since 2015, west of Yttre Vattenholmen in Koster fjord, there has been a mooring buoy. It provides a fixed location from which to moor a boat and deploy a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) in order to film marine life on larger depths. Permission from Transportstyrelsen (Swedish Transport Agency) for establishment and operation of the buoy is given to Kosterhavet National Park, County Adminstrative Board of Västra Götaland.
In June 2019 a fishing boat hit the mooring buoy, which was moved about 1 kilometre and sunk. 9 October 2019 a new mooring buoy was deployed with the aid of Koster Marin Kosterfärjan. Tjärnö Marine Laboratory research vessel Nereus was also used during deployment.
The mooring buoy being loaded on board Kosterfärjan, at Tjärnö Marine Laboratory. Photo: Martin Larsvik.
The mooring buoy is deployed west of Yttre Vattenholmen. Photo: Karl-Henrik Gustafsson.
– The mooring buoy is very useful for us when using remotely operated underwater vehicles, captain Karl-Henrik Gustafsson of Tjärnö Marine Laboratory ship Nereus says. We spare bottom life by not having to anchor, are always in good position, and we save time.
The remotely operated underwater vehicle is retrieved after filming at 110 metres depth west of Yttre Vattenholmen. Photo: Örjan Karlsson.
Work is in progress to locate and retrieve the sunken mooring buoy.