Coda Octopus Group, Inc. and their agent in the Netherlands, Nautikaris BV, have recently been involved in a project for Deep BV – Hydrography and Geophysics, providing positioning and survey services for the installation of a power cable from the Thornton Bank Wind Farm off the Belgian coast.
This is a significant development for the Echoscope® as this is the first time that the Echoscope® has been used to monitor the touchdown of the cable into a trench on the seabed. Using Echoscope® the operator was able to visualize in real time the cable’s catenary and touchdown point in three dimensions as it was being laid.
This proves the valuable application of the Echoscope® in deep sea cable laying. The Echoscope® was also used to visualize and monitor the pull-in of cables into the J-tube, giving the operator a 3D view of the scene during the operation and resulting in confident decision making.
Furthermore, using Coda Octopus’ proprietary software (Survey Explorer) with its “augmented reality” capabilities it was possible to overlay a computer generated image of the planned siting of the cable onto the sonar view to confirm the cable was being laid on target. Work is ongoing but early results indicate that this approach led to a major increase in productivity.
Jurgen Beerens , Commercial Manager at Deep BV , said, “This project has proven to us that using Echoscope® can bring significant productivity gains. By ensuring the correct siting of the cable and make any necessary adjustments as it is being laid, we are able to work continuously without having to stop to check its position, and we avoid having to go back and take remedial action.”
Blair Cunningham , President of Technology at Coda Octopus Group , said, “We are delighted with the results of this project. The Echoscope® real time 3D sonar is the technology of the future in these types of operations. The last twelve months have seen a further expansion in the range of applications where the Echoscope® has been successfully deployed. Businesses involved in these complex and difficult operations are beginning to understand the advantages of the real time capabilities of the Echoscope® over the conventional sonars or multibeam equipment, and are attesting to the productivity gains realized through deploying the Echoscope®.
“This represents one of our first forays into this significant market. There are hundreds of international power and telecommunications cables globally, and this number is set to increase significantly. Even laying a short cable of a couple of hundred miles or so can cost about $1Bn, and we are delighted that we have a proven application in this market which is good for our customers and for Coda Octopus.”
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Offshore WIND staff, May 30, 2012; Image: Coda Octopus