Mariners to benefit as hi-tech weather buoy replaced

A hi-tech weather buoy which broke from its moorings off the south coast before Christmas and washed up in Devon in England was replaced yesterday.

The Marine Institute led the operation about 50km south west of Mizen Head to redeploy the sophisticated M3 buoy. The device is designed to better handle the extreme wave and wind conditions experienced off the south west coast, said Sheena Fennell, a scientific technical officer with the institute, who oversaw the operation.

“Its new moorings, which include a specialised rope, now have a 35-ton breaking strain limit,” she said.