Offshore technology and engineering company Osbit Limited has secured a contract with Global Marine Group to supply a multi-function pre-lay and backfill subsea plough – Scion 240.
The Scion 240 plough is being designed and built in North-East England and will be delivered from Osbit’s Blyth works at the end of May 2019. Osbit will support Global Marine Group and their customer with sea trials and be available to assist Scion 240 as it commences work on its first project later in the summer.
The Scion 240 is said to reduce the cost of offshore wind by minimising the operational risk and the time required to install subsea cables.
According to Osbit, the system delivers boulder clearance and pre-trenching up to 1.7m in a single run, leaving a boulder cleared swathe and a ‘backfill-ready’ open trench with segregated spoil.
Martyn Drye , Director of Engineering at Global Marine Group, said: “The Scion 240 Plough is an exciting new subsea tool for our business; offering boulder clearance and pre-trenching in a single pass is an industry-first. Our team of in-house engineers, working closely with Osbit, developed this solution, which delivers not only for our significant inaugural project, but also for the long-term, meeting the needs of our customers in multiple sectors. We’re excited to receive the Plough in Q2, 2019, and begin work towards the summer, later this year.”
The system is said to be fully subsea adjustable and features a surveillance suite for accurate route tracking and effective trenching. This functionality is provided through Osbit’s control technology which consists of an open source modular system incorporating Osbit Integrated Logistics Support (OILS) asset monitoring, packaged in an ergonomic control cabin.
The Scion 240 can also be reconfigured into backfill mode, which uses the same control and surveillance suite to monitor the cable and trench profile.
Osbit Director Robbie Blakeman said: “This project is a great case study showcasing our unique working practices. We collaborated with the Global Marine Group team and its customer to develop an appropriately engineered solution that is both operationally and commercially effective. Our team is also working closely with our fantastic supply chain, which is predominantly based in the North East.”