UK-based supplier of tailored equipment and engineering services to enable the execution of challenging offshore projects, Osbit has delivered a multi-function pre-lay and backfill subsea plow to offshore engineering company Global Marine Group.
The offshore technology company has designed and built the plow, which will now be known as PLP240, over a 20-week program, following contract award in January. Final assembly and sign-off was completed at Osbit’s Port of Blyth facility, on time at the end of May, to meet an accelerated and demanding schedule driven by customer need.
Osbit has worked in close collaboration with Global Marine Group and its first client for the new plow, Vattenfall, to deliver a burial asset which will help to reduce the cost of offshore wind installation. This has been accomplished by optimizing the vehicle to minimize project risks and combine operations to reduce the time required to install subsea cables.
The plow offers single pass capability, which enables boulder clearance and pre-trenching up to 1.7 meters in a single run, leaving a boulder cleared swathe and a ‘backfill-ready’ open trench with segregated spoil. The plow is also fully subsea adjustable and features an extensive surveillance suite for accurate and effective trenching.
The plow can be reconfigured into backfill mode, which uses the same control and surveillance suite to monitor the cable and trench profile, enabling reliable backfilling whilst ensuring the safety of the cable at all times. Osbit’s innovative forward skid arrangement and surveillance equipment provide market-leading levels of cable integrity assurance.
The plow is supported by Osbit’s leading-edge control technology, which consists of an open source modular system incorporating Osbit Integrated Logistics Support (OILS) asset monitoring, packaged in an ergonomic control cabin.
Following its completion, the plough will now be officially launched by Global Marine Group during an event at its Port of Blyth facility, in early July.
Osbit Director Robbie Blakeman said, “We are committed to developing globally innovative subsea trenching solutions using our proven modular technology and the delivery of this project reinforces the effectiveness of this approach."