SMD’s long-standing client, Global Marine Group (GMG) has just completed a successful campaign with CIEG (Channel Island Electricity Grid) conducting remedial burial work on the power cable between Guernsey and Jersey. The project benefited from using the SMD built QTrencher 1000, which has been mobilised onto the group’s latest fleet addition the CS Recorder.
In recent months GMG’s business unit CWind has been conducting back-to-back power cable repair and remedial burial projects, and mobilising the QTrencher 1000 has played a significant role in extending the company’s capabilities. The trencher was mobilised in April at the new operational hub located in Blyth in North East England. It was delivered along with its heavy weather Launch & Recovery System which is designed to operate up to sea state 6.
The first project using the trencher was a success. The Global Marine Group’s operations team and SMD Services’ technicians brought the QTrencher back into service on a tight schedule. Its initial project was performed with 0% downtime and the asset met its performance targets straight out of the box. Since then a further project scope has been completed on a live export cable, including completing a 72-hour continuous jetting run where the QTrencher, vessel and crew all performed faultlessly.
SMD engineers paid particular attention to the umbilical handling system to maximise vehicle productivity. Recovery and latching of the vehicle occurs 10m subsea via a cursor outside of the high-energy wave zone. Additional snatch protection, via a heave compensator, is also provided to increase the weather operating window and ensure umbilical load is kept within safe limits.
Paul Davison, Managing Director of SMD Trenching, Mining and Renewables at SMD commented,
“We are delighted to support the Global Marine Group bring their acquired QTrencher 1000 into service. Supporting our clients with second user assets is an increasing element to our Services business. Our benchmark is to have reliable assets that install confidence and assurance.”
Lee Andrews, CWind Managing Director commented,
“It’s great to see the QTrencher 1000 in service on CS Recorder and we’re grateful for SMD’s continued support. With QTrencher 1000 now mobilised, fully operational and proven on CS Recorder we are seeing a great deal of interest from the market in securing its capabilities in the second half of the year particularly with respect to cost effective power cable remedial burial and more traditional short-run O&G scopes.”
Learn more about the QTrencher range.
