In 2005, DeepOcean brought us a challenge that pushed the boundaries of subsea engineering. Our answer was a world-first pipeline plough – the SMD AMP500.
Custom-built to handle some of the greatest offshore demands of the time, the AMP500 stood as the most advanced pipeline plough in its class, delivering the equivalent of 500 tonnes of pull force and excelling across a diverse range of seabed conditions.
Roger White, Chief Engineer at SMD, explains: “In the early 2000s, pipelines were getting bigger, and so were burial depth requirements.
“To continue providing world-leading services, DeepOcean required a plough that could handle extreme pull loads, operate across varied seabed conditions, and achieve deep trenching through multiple controlled passes.
“These requirements could only be met by a powerful, precise and adaptable vehicle. By building on our decades of experience, we combined five key features to achieve this with the AMP500.”
FIVE FEATURES OF A WORLD-FIRST
- Rotating Tracks
The AMP500 introduced a rotating track at the rear of the plough. This component delivers friction-based drive assistance to generate positive forward motion. By transferring more of the towing force into the vehicle, the vessel can either reduce its pull force to conserve fuel or pull at maximum capacity, increasing trenching speeds and reducing multi-pass requirements.
- Jetting
As with many of our ploughs, the AMP500 features jetting that can reduce pore pressures in sandy seabeds. This enables the plough to glide through the seabed with less resistance, improving efficiency while reducing power outputs.
- High Tow Points
Another feature designed to reduce friction and drag for the AMP500 is its high tow points. While traditional ploughs pull from low tow points, this increases seabed friction and drag, creating resistance. In adjusting the geometry of the pull on the AMP500, we created a smoother, more controlled ploughing process to utilise more of the available tow force.
- Integrated Buoyancy Tanks
Operating globally, DeepOcean required a vehicle that excelled across a range of seabed conditions, from soft silts to compact clays. We delivered against this objective by integrating configurable buoyancy tanks into the AMP500. This means operators can reduce the vehicle’s submerged weight to as little as 50 tonnes if softer seabed conditions call for lighter machinery. The vehicle’s weight can then be increased for harder seabeds.
- Advanced Trench Profile Control
Creating precise trench profiles was central to DeepOcean’s brief. The AMP500 delivers this using adjustable mouldboards, the height and rotation of which can be easily configured. This, in turn, alters the profile of the trench and the position of the resulting soil heaps, ensuring each pass delivers optimal results and a smooth backfill process.
A LASTING LEGACY
It’s been 20 years since we first delivered the SMD AMP500, yet it is still used to meet global demands for precise and powerful pipeline burial. A key milestone in our innovation journey, this product has also inspired the evolution of subsequent vehicles, notably, SMD’s Variable Mulipass Plough (VMP).
A core SMD product, the VMP is the most advanced pipe trenching technology in the world and is derived directly from the engineering principles and field-proven innovations of the AMP500. Incorporating enhanced depth control, real-time feedback systems, and fully remote multi-pass capability, the VMP builds on the AMP500’s legacy to deliver unmatched performance across the most challenging seabed conditions.
To find out more about our range of ploughs, please contact Matt Woodward
