Subsea cable faults have serious implications on the amount of energy a wind farm can produce, creating both increased costs for the owner and a loss of revenue. CWind’s maintenance team are able to mobilise at speed, rapidly responding to unexpected cable faults keeping downtime, costs and losses to a minimum. Earlier in the summer, cable installation and maintenance vessel the C.S. Sovereign mobilised within a single week to complete back-to-back power cable repairs, the first completed in just four weeks compared to the industry average of 130 days.
Incidents relating to the installation and operation of high voltage subsea cables are the most costly cause of financial losses in the industry, with insurance claims totalling more than €60million in 2015, making it a critically important phase in development. The experience and track record of CWind and its people are a true asset to any project, ensuring that solutions are delivered overcoming engineering challenges and getting them right first time. The Global Marine Group collaboratively has installed 387 inter array cables and completed 421 cable pull-ins across more than 40 European offshore wind farms.
CWind offer subsea cable installation and repair solutions, complemented by full asset management services to enhance and optimise operations at all stages of an offshore wind farm lifecycle. During both construction and operational phases, CWind deliver wrap around services via a fleet of CTVs and experienced technicians including inspections, surveys and maintenance to enhance asset outputs for the long term. Pre-project engineering, cable storage and management, and regular independent testing can be included as part of a turnkey package, ensuring a quick response in the event of a cable fault.
CWind delivers the Global Marine Group’s power cable capabilitiesCWind holds an excellent Health & Safety track record; the Global Marine Group completed a staggering 1.65 million hours worked in 2016, all without incident or injury. With years of cable handling knowledge and expertise, in-house trained, reliable technicians and proven assets to deliver the job; CWind are a trusted partner for end-to-end subsea cable solutions.
CWind, part of the Global Marine Group, was contracted by Western Power Distribution, to complete the vital power cable repair connecting the Isles of Scilly to mainland electricity.
The power cable was damaged by a ship’s anchor, a common occurrence with telecommunications and power cables, particularly within busy shipping lanes. The C.S. Sovereign, along with her crew of experienced cable engineers and specialist cable equipment and machinery, was contracted for the repair and rapidly mobilised. Using Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) deployed from the back deck of the C.S. Sovereign, the vessel and technical team onboard surveyed the cable on the sea bed, located the fault and recovered the cable ends before successfully completing the joint.
The project was challenged by inclement weather, strong currents and restricted tide times but working together with the customer, Western Power Distribution, the repair was successfully completed within a month, without causing further disruption to the customers on the Islands. The cable was significantly damaged and there were several technical issues to overcome, but together the CWind and Global Marine Group team of experienced engineers were able to create an innovative solution. Not only was the damaged cable repaired effectively, but the new solution also created a shorter, more direct route between the connection points, when the cable was re-laid on the sea bed at a depth of 70 metres.
