Van Oord Orders SMD Trencher

Soil Machine Dynamics (SMD) has secured a contract with Van Oord for the manufacture and delivery of a QTrencher 1600.

This contract follows the deployment of SMD’s QTrencher 1400 on Van Oord’s Gemini Wind Farm.

Scheduled for delivery in Q1 2018, the trenching machine will be supplied with an SMD designed umbilical winch, along with jetting and mechanical cutting tools. Additional functionality includes beach operation to offer cable installation for export and inter array campaigns.

The equipment will be loaded directly onto Van Oord’s state of the art cable-laying vessel Nexus from SMD’s Turbinia Works in Wallsend, UK. The QTrencher 1600 is scheduled to be deployed from the Nexus onto various wind farm projects in 2018.

“Van Oord have been using QTrencher 1400 on their Gemini installation campaign so already have good experience with our technology. It’s a strong endorsement of our quality and performance in the field to be able to supply direct to a contractor like Van Oord,” said Paul Davison, managing director of SMD Trenching, Mining and Renewables.

“With the continuing demand to lower LCOE and obligations to get it right first time, the market is demanding better performance. Our technology is well placed. We look forward to working with Van Oord, ensuring the trencher has a smooth entry into service.”

SMD Services added it will be providing a service support package for Van Oord. This will include training of technical and operations staff on the vessel during the equipment’s first year of deployment. A package of maintenance and strategic spares will also be supplied.