DeepOcean Buries Race Bank Inter-Array Cables

DeepOcean has completed the installation and burial of all 91 inter-array cables at DONG Energy’s 573MW Race Bank offshore wind farm off North Norfolk.

DeepOcean’s Edda Freya has completed the cable installations with an approximate overall length of 106km, while the T2 trencher, operated from the Volantis vessel, achieved the target burial and dealt with abrupt changes in seabed material.

In addition to the tracked T2 Trencher, DeepOcean buried cables using the highly capable free flying UT1 Trencher, also operated from the Volantis.

The company’s scope also included route engineering, pre-lay grapnel runs, and cable protection system installation.

DONG awarded the contract for the provision of inter-array cable installation and trenching work on the wind farm to DeepOcean, while the cables were delivered by JDR Cables.

At the beginning of September, Jan De Nul completed the installation of export cables for the project.

The Race Bank project is considered as DONG’s most complex to date due to its location at a challenging work site with strong currents, shallow waters, widely varied seabed soils and consistently strong winds.

The wind farm, being built out of DONG Energy’s construction base in the Grimsby Fish Docks, will comprise 91 Siemens 6MW turbines and is expected to be fully commissioned in 2018.