MMT was commissioned by SHE Transmission to undertake a combined geophysical, geotechnical and environmental cable route survey between Shetland and the Scottish mainland in 2008. The work used MBES, side-scan sonar, sub-bottom profiler, magnetometer and environmental sampling (including vibrocores and sediment grabs in the nearshore Portgordon area) to establish seabed topography, shallow soils and environmental constraints relevant to the Caithness-Moray HVDC route.