CodaOctopus and its Dutch agent Nautikaris recently provided positioning and survey services to Deep BV for the installation of a power cable at the Thornton Bank wind farm off the Belgian coast. It was the first time the Echoscope had been used to monitor the touchdown of a cable into a trench on the seabed.
Using the sonar, the operator was able to visualize in real time the cable’s catenary and touchdown point in three dimensions as it was being laid. It was also used to visualize and monitor the pull-in of the cable into the J-tube, giving the operator an immediate 3D view of the subsea scene during the operation.
With the ‘augmented reality’ capabilities of CodaOctopus’ proprietary USE (Underwater Survey Explorer) software, it was possible to overlay a computer generated image of the planned siting of the cable onto the sonar view to confirm the cable was being laid on target. Work is on-going but early results indicate that this approach has led to a major increase in productivity, reported CodaOctopus president of technology Blair Cunningham. ‘We are delighted with the results of this project,’ he added. ‘The Echoscope real time 3D sonar is the technology of the future in these types of operations.
Deep BV commercial manager Jurgen Beerens said: ‘This project has proven to us that using Echoscope can bring significant productivity gains. By ensuring the correct siting of the cable and by making necessary adjustments as it is being laid, we were able to work continuously without having to stop to check its position. We therefore avoided having to go back and take remedial action.’
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