Cutting cable installation time by 50%
Subocean Group has pioneered a renewable industry milestone by becoming the first company to use a DP vessel equipped with ploughing technology to install cables in the wind farm market. The subsea construction company’s innovative approach has cut cable installation time by 50%, providing the marine renewables’ sector with a more cost-effective and efficient solution. Using its specially-adapted cable installation vessel, the Polar Prince, which represents a £30 million invest for Subocean, the company installed four power cables one metre under the seabed in 30 metres of water on the world’s first 100 Wind Turbine Generator (WTB) development – Vattenfall’s Thanet Offshore Wind farm, off Ramsgate on the Kent coast. Subocean secured the £30 million contract for this earlier this year.
The cables were each installed within 24 hours which, compared with conventional methods, represents a significant timescale reduction in both operational activity and exposure to adverse weather conditions. The two cables successfully installed are the first of 100 inter Array cables to be embedded.
Subocean’s breakthrough is the latest in the award-winning company’s approach to marine renewables, underpinning its commitment to help develop the burgeoning industry.
Mike Daniel, Subocean’s operations director, said: “This is an important milestone not just for Subocean but for the industry where resources, including vessels, and expertise is limited. To successfully achieve a faster installation and on a high-profile project like the Thanet development is a major step forward in the market.
‘The Polar Prince’s capabilities are much more advanced than conventional barges because it does not require anchors to be run while manoeuvring and the vessel is therefore significantly quicker. Traditional barge methods take at least two days to lay and bury one cable so for Subocean to save a day’s operational activity for one cable is exceptional particularly when you put it into full project perspective – the Thanet project alone involves laying 100 cables’. ‘The Polar Prince also withstands hostile weather conditions. During the cable installation on Thanet, the Polar Prince remained on site during winds of up to 60 knots when all other vessels retreated to the port for shelter’.
Subcocean chartered the Polar Prince, a DP2 subsea support vessel, in what represented a £30 million investment for the company. The vessel was installed with Subocean cable laying and burial equipment including tensioners, haulers, cable tank and plough. The Thanet development will provide a maximum 300MW of electrical generation, which is sufficient to provide electricity for 240,000 homes, and will meet a significant proportion of the energy needs for east Kent.
Subocean Group provides turnkey project design and implementation, including engineering, procurement, installation and commissioning of subsea facilities. It also supplies offshore management personnel, divers, life support technicians, ROV operators, subsea equipment operators and offshore administrators. Last month, the Aberdeen-headquartered company won a top renewables accolade at a prestigious business awards ceremony.
The Group, which is one of the UK’s largest market leaders in specialist high performance subsea cable installation and burial solutions, was named the best Renewable Energy company at the Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce’s Northern Star awards.