New heavy-duty subsea cable burial plough, developed with SMD, will bury power cables up to five metres below the seabed from Prysmian’s latest cable installation vessels
Prysmian has commissioned a new heavy-duty subsea cable burial plough designed to bury submarine power cables during offshore installation campaigns. The latest-generation burial tool, developed in collaboration with North East England-based SMD, is the largest and most powerful plough in Prysmian’s fleet. It is one of two identical systems ordered from SMD and is capable of burying subsea power cables to depths of up to five metres below mean seabed level.
Designed to support the installation of interconnectors and offshore wind export cables, the new plough is intended to enhance cable protection by achieving deeper, more consistent burial in a wider range of seabed conditions, helping to reduce the risk of damage throughout the asset’s operational life.
Submarine cables are strategic assets, working as electrical superhighways, bringing energy across long distances in the form of interconnectors, or connecting renewable generation such as offshore wind with the grid.
The burial tool will be deployed for operation on Prysmian’s latest-generation deep-sea cable installation vessels, the Prysmian Monna Lisa and the Prysmian Alessandro Volta.
Prysmian’s Middlesbrough Marine base takes the lead in the planning, procurement and deployment of Prysmian’s burial operations – and the partnership with SMD underlines the winwin for British energy investments in the submarine space, creating a positive ecosystem of knowhow and employment.
Peter Watson, Middlesbrough Marine base & Offshore Subsea Assets at Prysmian: “With accuracy, precision and efficiency, the tool enhances our ability to tackle increasingly challenging seabed conditions and achieve cable burial depths of up to five meters, depending on seabed characteristics.“
“And this is also a British success story – Prysmian’s marine base here in Middlesborough is a central part of our global operations and is also helping to deliver key British submarine projects. This longterm partnership of technical know-how and understanding with our partners at SMD reflects just how vital the supply chain of technology in North East England is to deliver energy security for the UK, and for Europe, thanks to major submarine electricity projects. It’ll be this technology that is vital to keeping these investments and our energy safe.”
