UK: Gael Force Launches SeaLimpet Mooring Device

Specialist in marine engineering, equipment and aquaculture, Gael Force Group, has launched its innovative SeaLimpet floating gravity-based mooring device for the subsea and renewables sectors and announces the completion of its first contract.

The SeaLimpet is a cylindrical concrete structure with specially configured in-built chambers which can be flooded with water or evacuated using compressed air, allowing it to be towed, floating to position and then flooded to sink under controlled conditions.

The SeaLimpet secures wind, wave and subsea installations to the seabed with pinpoint accuracy and, because it can be floated into position using non-specialist vessels, avoids the need for heavy transportation ships and cranes, significantly lowering deployment costs whilst reducing operational risk.

The first contract for Gael Force was secured with New Jersey-based renewable energy company Ocean Power Technologies (OPT), which commissioned an initial three 460-tonne SeaLimpets for the deployment of its PowerBuoy wave energy device. The SeaLimpets have been delivered ready for use by OPT off the coast of Oregon. The value of the contract was £900,000 ($1.48 million).

Gael Force is based in Inverness in the Highlands of Scotland. The initial concept for the SeaLimpet came from feasibility work completed for an in-house marine renewable energy project and drew on the company’s experience in mooring heavy displacement marine structures in the aquaculture industry.

However, Gael Force soon realised the potential that existed for the device in more general marine and oil and gas subsea sectors and is currently engaged in developing adaptations of the SeaLimpet for a variety of off-shore engineering projects.

Gael Force managing director David Guthrie said: “The versatility and adaptability of the SeaLimpet mean that it has vast potential for both subsea and renewable applications where low cost of deployment, accuracy and safety are key drivers. It is not a concept but a designed and delivered solution, and we are currently busy on adaptive design and engineering work which will result in the SeaLimpet being deployed in some interesting mooring applications.

“We are proud of our Celtic origins. In all parts of our business we are dealing with the sea and we have a determination to meet the challenges of the many marine environments in which we operate – a mindset which has led to the development of the SeaLimpet.

“We are delighted to have delivered our first contract for the SeaLimpet in the energy industry. We see a significant market within a range of applications in the subsea and renewable sectors for our product, and the number of international inquiries we have received so far suggests our expectations are justified.”

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Source: Gael Force Group, Sptember 08, 2011;