Global Marine Lands Tampnet Double

UK-based Global Marine Systems Limited has landed a pair of contracts from Tampnet, who operates the “largest offshore high-capacity communication network in the world” in the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.

The first project is for a platform to platform cable system that includes four branching units. It will incorporate 74.157 km of fibre optic cable, with the cable for the second platform being laid to allow for platform connection at a later date.

The company’s installation vessel, Innovator, has been contracted to complete the work.

Initially, mattress deployment work was undertaken across various oil and gas pipelines, as well as umbilicals. This was prior to Innovator laying fibre optic cable in the centreline of a channelled mattress on the seabed nearly 120m below the surface. The mattress design has been developed specifically for this project utilising concrete mattresses and combining this with recycled rubber providing greater support to the cable over the pipeline crossings and ensuring the cable is retrievable for future maintenance operations, should this be required, the company explained.

The second contract from Tampnet is for 36 km of fibre optic cable installation in the southern North Sea. At one end of the system, the cable end spur has been previously installed ready for connection. Global Marine, using its installation vessel C.S. Sovereign, will recover the spur for the first platform, install a cable joint and lay cable to the branching unit 1 km from the Cable End Module (CEM) location near the second platform. The CEM is also being installed by C.S. Sovereign and will be used to tie into another subsea control system, these two subsea structures will be connected at a later date.

“Both projects are currently in progress and going well,” says Andy Lloyd, Director, Installation at Global Marine. “Some of the work is more challenging than usual, to say the least, notably the installation of the CEM. Positioning this subsea structure accurately was a crucial part in the overall delivery of this important project and relied heavily on sound project engineering both in the planning phase and subsequently during marine operations. I am pleased to say that we have already deployed the CEM successfully, which demonstrates our skill in this field, and is testament to the proven capabilities of our marine installation vessel, crew and equipment.”

Anders Tysdal, Technical Director of Tampnet adds: “Our partnership with Global Marine has strengthened and this is as a result of their continued project delivery, meeting the oil & gas sectors’ notoriously precise and high standards. It is clear they have exceptional capability in subsea cable operations. Their innovative engineering solutions and the ability to install subsea structures accurately and safely is an example of that.”