Norwegian seabed intervention specialist Deep C has been awarded a contract by Seaway Heavy Lifting (SHL) to perform soil plug removal inside subsea piles, as part of the development of the 588MW Beatrice wind farm off Scotland.
Seaway Heavy Lifting will install 84 jackets for the Beatrice wind turbines and two jackets for the offshore transmission modules.
Each jacket sits on four piles, resulting in a total of 344 piles requiring soil removal and internal pile cleaning down to eight metres below the top of pile.
Deep C Group has applied their technology to design, engineer and fabricate a bespoke soil plug removal tool (SPRT) for the project.
The SPRT operates independently and is deployed in a specialised launch & recovery frame which mates and centralises on each pile. The toll is outfitted with both suction, and low / high pressure jetting capability, as well as monitoring systems for depth measurement and inspection.
The SPRT performs soil plug removal, internal pile cleaning and inspection simultaneously, Deep C said.
Onshore testing including Client FAT has been successfully completed, and the equipment is now prepared and mobilised for the first campaign starting in the near future, the company said.
”This is a strategically important Award for Deep C which has given us the opportunity to demonstrate our capability to provide complex bespoke solutions. The design, engineering, fabrication, and equipment testing/ evolution has been completed in record time. This demonstrates the commitment and cooperation of both Seaway Heavy Lifting and Deep C and is a credit to both organisations,” said OddGustav Kvalvåg, CEO of Deep C Group.
SHL started the piling works at the site in the Outer Moray Firth in early April and the operations are scheduled to be completed in October.