Fugro broadens trenching services with cable-lay in offer

Fugro has added cable-lay services to trenching for tidal energy sector and offshore wind farms.

The company has equipped its trenching vessel, Fugro Saltire, with a compact, custom-made, cable-lay spread that comprises a reel drive system to store the cables, a tensioner to lay them, twin winches and a quadrant deployment system on rails.

The equipment is fitted to the rear deck of the vessel alongside the existing trenching equipment.

An additional innovation introduced to the system is new 3D sonar technology to supplement ROV support, and monitor precisely, onsite, cable touch down during the cable-lay and pull-in operations, where the daily hazard of very high currents can limit the use of an ROV, Fugro’s press release reads.

Mike Daniel, Trenching Business Line Manager at Fugro Subsea Services, said: “We can now offer clients simultaneous cable-laying and burial from a single vessel, or alternatively our larger subsea construction vessel Fugro Symphony can be laying cables, while the Fugro Saltire is trenching them, speeding up operations and saving time for our customers.”

The initial concept for the new cable-lay capability was developed during trenching operations at the Humber Gateway Offshore Wind Farm, when E.ON asked Fugro to investigate laying some cables from the Fugro Saltire, Fugro’s press release reads.

Fugro is a Netherlands-based integrator of geotechnical, survey, subsea and geosciences services that supports clients with the installation, repair and maintenance of their subsea infrastructure.

Image: Fugro