Find it. Track it. Prove it.
SMD’s game-changing cable tracking and survey technology, Artemis, brings a host of new capabilities to the market. In the majority of cases, Artemis can detect submarine cables and pipelines deeper than any technology currently available today. In many cases where submarine cable detection was not possible; Artemis can enable this. Whether LIVE or TONED, Artemis can be used to survey submarine cables buried up to 10m below the seabed. When the target cable is without power or signal, damaged or deemed ‘dead’, it will remain detectable by Artemis up to a burial depth of 5m. The combination of this class leading detection distance with flexibility in tracking and survey methods makes Artemis the best choice for offshore wind farm cable survey; Artemis works without the need for power to be switched off or for the cable to be online at the time of cable installation and inspection.
The newly developed cable tracker can be used as a plug & play device which can be easily fitted to a wide range of subsea vehicles, both SMD and third party.
Currently available in four guises, LIVE, TONED, SURVEY and TRENCHING, for different applications.
Artemis LIVE is intended for the tracking and survey of ‘live’ AC or unipolar DC cables that have power transmission.
Artemis TONED is intended for tracking and survey with the same configuration as Artemis LIVE but is used for cables with little or no power, or bipolar DC cables.
Artemis LIVE and TONED have gained track record in the field and are available to lease now.
Artemis SURVEY is intended for the tracking and survey of ‘dead’ AC or DC cables, pipelines and telecoms cables.
Artemis TRENCHING is intended for tracking and survey with the same configuration as SURVEY but is utilized during simultaneous trenching and ‘as-built’ survey operations.
Artemis SURVEY & TRENCHING modes are currently undergoing final testing with SMD’s key clients and partners on a range of offshore projects and will be available to the wider lease market soon.
For more detailed information on each of the four modes click here.
On The Open Sea
SMD’s Innovation Team started developing Artemis back in 2018 and have now completed a number of sea trials with a range of industry partners, including a live wind farm trial where it was successfully proven that cables can be tracked without the need for turning off green energy generating power.
Paul Davison, SMD’s deputy CEO has been involved the development project from the outset: “The plan was always to rigorously test, prove and perfect the technology before we made it available to lease. We have built our reputation on designing and manufacturing reliable subsea technology and this was to be no different. We understand that our clients need to know that the kit is up to scratch and that’s part of the reason we’ve been so thorough with the trials.”
SMD partnered with N-Sea for one of the first offshore trials. N-Sea, MD Survey, Paul van Waalwijk van Doorn and Senior Project Surveyor, Ferry Wijnstra commented: “Prior to the development of the Artemis system, there was no reliable system available in the market for tracking and detecting cables and pipelines in the range of 1.5m – 10m burial depth. We partnered with SMD for field testing of their new Artemis system. We found the system easy to use, and the processing and quality control is transparent. For future applications, the wider detection range enables other methods of deployment with higher acquisition speeds.”
One recent trial saw Artemis track the export cable during a reburial operation at the Eneco Luchterduinen Wind Farm. Artemis was fitted to the Sunfish intertidal trenching vehicle developed by long time partner, Jan De Nul. During this sea trial Artemis LIVE was used to track and rebury cable from the beach up to 1km offshore, in water depths of up to 8.5m, without any requirement for the wind farm power to be terminated
Paul Davison commented: “As well as building up track record, the sea trials have given us the opportunity to really get to grips with the technology. That means we know exactly how to support clients so they get the best results when they come to lease it.”
Lee Carden is responsible for Artemis Sales: “To get Artemis to this stage has involved huge support from our trial partners who we thank for their time, support and collaboration. We are just about to embark on a new trial to finalise our development work for our Artemis SURVEY system. With such a strong pipeline in 2022 and beyond, we are looking forward to sharing our results with our findings with our Artemis clients around the close of Q1.”
The Future of Survey
Artemis is the only non-contact measurement solution available that can simultaneously provide exact location and orientation of a submarine cable/pipeline at the front and rear of a vehicle, and in real-time. This provides complete assurance of cable burial by tracking the depth, offset, yaw and angle of the burial process at the rear of the trencher while directing the vehicle at the front. Combining this with SMD’s trenching technology allows live, toned or ‘dead’ cables and pipelines to be accurately tracked and buried to the desired depth; potentially eliminating the need to complete as built survey as a separate project operation.
