Wind Energy – IRM
Subsea excavation and trenching pioneer, Rotech Subsea, has completed a programme of cable IRM works at a key offshore wind farm in the Netherlands.
Commissioned by a European subsea service provider, Rotech’s RS2 CFE (controlled flow excavation) tool from its industry-leading RS range of trenching and excavation equipment was mobilised from Aberdeen in Q3, 2021.
The cable repair operations saw the RS2 de-bury approximately 800m of existing cable before carrying out the burial of new cable, with a September 2021 completion date.
The de-burial phase saw the RS2 deployed from the RS Sentinel vessel using the ship’s crane. Operating in water depths of 25m the cable was successfully de-buried from 1.64 – 2.2m below the seabed.
Soil conditions were medium-dense to dense sand with currents reported at 0.2 – 1.8kts and general sea states 0 – 2m. The state-of-the-art RS2 suspended jet trencher operated at a distance of 3 – 4m above seabed, progressing at 3 – 5m/min.
