Van Oord patents new technology to dredge at great water depths
Over the past few years, Van Oord has developed a new technique for dredging at great water depths. This Deep excavation system (DES) is an innovative method to prepare a sea bottom profile for installing offshore pipelines.
The system has been patented by Van Oord and already applied in Australia and Norway.
Cost-effective sea bed preparation
Uneven sea beds are traditionally prepared for laying offshore pipelines by installing large volumes of rock. As an alternative to this Subsea Rock Installation (SRI) method, Van Oord has developed the deep excavation system.
On projects in Australia and Norway, excavating several thousand cubic metres of hard and soft soil made the installation of hundreds of thousand tonnes of rock unnecessary.
Combining the excavating system and SRI can be a cost-effective solution for sea bed preparation.
Flexible fall pipe
The Deep excavation system allows dredging to take place at depths varying from 100 to at least 1,000 m.
Van Oord’s flexible fall pipe vessels Stornes and Bravenes (operational in 2016) can be equipped with this system, which has been developed in-house.
It consists of the combined application of a sophisticated grab and a Fall pipe remotely operated vehicle (FPROV). The DES has a very accurate position control system and generates only very limited turbidity, which is vital in view of potential nearby sensitive marine environment like coral.
Complete package of offshore services
"Nowadays, oil and gas are being extracted more and more from isolated fields in deep water and transported over long distances. Our clients face these challenges", says Joep Athmer, Managing Director of Van Oord Offshore.
"To meet their needs, we offer tailor-made solutions by applying our marine ingenuity. The Deep excavation system is an example of this and a valuable addition to our complete package of offshore services", according to Athmer.
This news item was originally published on the website of Van Oord.
More information
Van Oord
Rotterdam, the Netherlands
+31 88 826 00 00
www.vanoord.com