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Submarine Cable Installation Contractors
Submarine Cable Installation Contractors
CAPABILITY DOCUMENT
Ref. : Capability Document
Rev. : 09
Five Oceans Services Capability Document Date : July 2009
Page : 2 of 18
4.0 Equipment...........................................................................................................12
1.0 Introduction
Five Oceans Services GmbH (FOS) is a German based registered Company having its
head office in Leer, situated in the Northern part of Germany, where it also has its
design team, manufacturing facilities and its operational support base. Furthermore
FOS has several subsidiary and representative offices based in Egypt, United Arab
Emirates, Iran and India.
FOS organization has a history of being active in coastal and inshore marine and civil
construction operations since 1985 and operates various vessels together with a
comprehensive array of marine construction equipment.
The marine spreads utilized by FOS varies from offshore lay barges to fully redundant
DP II class installation vessels and from remote operated vehicles capable of
performing operations at depths of up to 1,000 meters in addition to shallow draft
trenching equipment able to work in surf zones and shore approaches up to 15 meters
of water depth.
FOS has in place a long term charter (6 years) for the DP Class II MV Siem Carrier
which is suitable to support FOS operations.
The projects Five Oceans Services performs involve complex operations. Tough
environmental conditions, complex logistics, stringent design criteria and third party
interfaces are amongst others challenges our project teams are confronted with.
Challenges that are being dealt with under stringent time constraint of the overall field
development and specific Client requirements. Five Oceans Services believe that these
challenges can only be met by strong project management and close co-operation
between client and contractor.
Our excellent performance during the various subsea installation projects are mainly
based on flexibility and knowledge of our personnel forming the dedicated project
teams.
Our project teams consist of highly capable and experienced personnel meeting the
standards set in the offshore oil- and gas industry and dedicated to the project from pre
engineering phase up to final acceptance.
FOS immediate response contacts together with telephone and fax numbers for key
personnel within FOS are given below:
Email : [email protected]
[email protected]
perry.balls@fiveoceansservices,com
Web : www.fiveoceansservices.com
Scope of Works
• cable installation
• cable protection and/or burial
• cable transportation
• J-tube installation
• Crossing preparation and installation
• Cable shore pull ins
• Cable platform pull ins
• Repair and maintenance of subsea cables
• Equipment design, engineering and manufacturing
• Engineering studies
Five Oceans Services core activity is the installation of power- and telecommunication
cables in both shallow- and deep waters and difficult terrain. The installation and
protection of cables in these environments is a challenge which requires innovative
solutions. Five Oceans Services designs and manufactures project specific cable lay
and burial equipment as a result.
Through various strategic alliances with European and Far East based cable
manufacturers for both power- and fiber optic cables FOS is in a position to provide
turn key solutions which includes the delivery of cable.
The above services are provided to cable network owners, cable manufacturers,
offshore oil and gas operators, power supply corporations and other parties involved in
the transmission and distribution of telecommunications or power transmission via
submarine cables.
Individual items of activity can be carried out independently of the others on a stand-
alone basis or as part of a complete submarine cable installation, from conception
through subsea lay and burial to completion, or can be conducted as a turnkey
operation.
FOS also provides services to the offshore oil and gas industry in the installation of
flexible flowlines and umbilical with techniques and equipment specially adapted or
manufactured to suit the specific needs of the field development or installation project.
2.1 Introduction
This capability statement is a brief outline of the main phases of a typical submarine
cable installation which can be undertaken by FOS and which have been, or are
currently being, carried out by FOS utilizing various cable handling and storage
equipment and the cable lay barge Coastal Spider and/or chartered vessels and
support craft as appropriate.
The equipment and vessels used to handle and install a cable may vary from project to
project depending upon Client requirements and the characteristics of the product to be
installed, the geographical location and the seabed topography at the installation site
and the possible requirement to protect the cable from damage during its operational
life. The techniques of installing and protecting a cable are adapted to suit the
demands of the project.
2.2.1 Pre-Trenching
FOS has the experience and capability to design the trench dimensions based upon
soil conditions, cable parameters, environmental data and the requirements of the
Client and can provide, or design and manufacture, the required excavation tools.
The cable is laid directly onto the seabed from the cable lay vessel either from a static
coil or a revolving turn carousel/turntable depending upon the characteristics of the
product. The cable is led via a cable pick-up arrangement and an associated cable
trackway through linear cable engines and is led over board through a cable
chute/stinger usually mounted at the stern of the vessel.
FOS owns and operates its own cable handling and storage equipment and also
operates a flat bottom cable lay barge with a carrying capacity of 1,600 tones.
Furthermore a long term charter is in place for the DP Class II MV Siem Carrier which
has a carrying capacity of 1,250 tones.
When the cable is required to be buried over a greater part of its route to provide
protection and, if this can be achieved in one pass, it can be laid and simultaneously
buried during the installation. Burial can be achieved either by towing a plough which
effectively cuts a trench depositing the soil back onto the cable or by jetting or cutting
which lowers the cable below the seabed.
In the case of using a trenching tool the opened trench will be backfilled by natural
sediment movements within a short period of time.
FOS operates various burial devices for shallow water operations and through FOS
has the capability to design and manufacture project specific (trenching) tools. FOS
also has the in-house experience to advise on the best method of burial protection and
to mobilize various types of trenching equipment for burial operations.
Where simultaneous lay and burial of the cable cannot be carried out in one combined
operation, e.g. restricted soil conditions, restrictions by client/owner or restrictions as a
result of cable characteristics, the cable can be laid on the sea bottom and be buried
subsequently using ploughing, water jetting or soil cutting techniques later.
With the exception of shorter routes, the post burial option is usually a more expensive
operation (subject to soil conditions) than simultaneous lay and burial as a second
pass will be required over the cable, either by the cable lay vessel or another cable
burial vessel. FOS has the experience and equipment to advise and conduct the best
method of post burial.
Similarly, landing a cable at an offshore platform requires special handling and the
provision of specialized fittings and equipment to maintain the bending radius and
integrity of the cable. Therefore specialized offshore trained personnel and equipment
shall be made available for activities onboard offshore platforms always with respect to
Client requirements.
FOS has gained vast experience in shallow water submarine cable operations over
difficult terrain and owns and operates a variety of cable handling equipment and
inshore vessels to cater for shore approaches and offshore platform landings.
Through the FOS Mechanical Engineering Division FOS has the capability to design
and manufacture project specific equipment for a variety of shore landings.
In many cases submarine cables require protection against damage that may result of
changes in the seabed, dropped debris, dragged ship's anchors or trawled fishing gear.
To prevent damage to occur, certain options are available:
Burial of the cable (see section 2.2) or when this option cannot be used, protecting the
cable using mattresses, rock dumping, articulated split pipes or added padding (e.g.
Uraduct).
FOS is a fast reacting organization that can respond with equipment and personnel at
short notice. Where repairs are required on a "one off” basis, mobilization can be
reduced to a bare minimum through utilization of local offices worldwide to secure
suitable local vessels. FOS repair equipment can be containerized and flown out to the
repair site and mobilized within the minimum of downtime to the submarine cable
operation. In addition FOS has available cable storage facilities situated in various
deep-water ports.
FOS with its vessels and equipment manufacturing capability and rapid response ability
is an ideal and reliable partner in a maintenance agreement contract. FOS recognizes
and values local input and the cost effectiveness of using local personnel and
resources whenever possible.
There are several other activities that are vital in the submarine cable installation
process and a requirement to a successful and cost effective installation of a
submarine cable.
Route surveys are essential to determine the optimum route for the cable with respect
to the integrity of the cable during its operational life, environmentally and politically it
also determines whether a route is acceptable.
FOS can organize and mobilize a full survey spread, Remotely Operated Vehicles
(ROV’s), bathymetric equipment and soils sampling equipment to conduct these
surveys and to report the most favorable cable route as part of the route engineering.
In order to more accurately determine whether a cable is capable of being buried along
sections of the route, a burial assessment can be carried out using a burial assessment
tool. Soil investigations can also be made sampling at discrete intervals along the
route.
Where the route crosses obsolete cables FOS can provide grapnels and cutting
equipment to clear a corridor from these cables.
lf there is extensive debris on the seabed such as old trawler nets, disposed wires or
chains, FOS can provide clearance equipment to remove the debris.
Where required FOS can perform a pre-lay survey as a final determination of the cable
route and as a route clearance check by ROV either from the cable lay vessel or from a
support vessel.
Following the cable lay a post lay survey can be carried out in a similar manner to the
pre-lay survey to determine, if applicable, the condition of the cable on the seabed and
to provide the "as laid" documentation.
FOS uses an integrated navigation and cable management system to plan the route
and to control the lay and burial of the cable within its required tolerances.
Geographical positions and recorded cable tensions together with burial depths are
presented in the form of an immediate display and are recorded throughout the
installation to form part of the "as-laid" documentation.
All personnel are allocated permanently to the different disciplines within the
organization. All personnel are experienced and qualified in the discipline they
represent. Curriculum Vitae of all personnel within FOS are held on record and are
available on request.
FOS’s personnel and equipment support can be made available and provided
whenever necessary.
Specifically this support includes the provision of highly skilled and experienced
surveyors and survey equipment, marine crew and marine construction, dredging
crews and dredging equipment, cable lay operators and cable lay equipment,
fabrication design and manufacturing facilities.
4.0 Equipment
FOS operates and partly owns a wide range of cable handling and storage equipment:
FOS operates its cable lay barge Coastal Spider and the MV Siem Carrier which is
long term charter to FOS, as well as 3rd party cable lay vessels and various support
craft:
FOS provides an immediate design and fabrication facility and shallow water and
inshore equipment:
5.0 Appendices
Appendix: 1
Client: IOEC
Location: Salman Field, Offshore Iran, Persian Gulf
Length of Installation: 12 km
Type of cables: MVAC 84mm lead sheathed power cable with fibre optic
component
Specific details: Installation of 4 inter-platform cables incl. 28 cable and pipeline
crossings and 8 J-tube pulls
Year 2008
Year 2007
Year 2006
Year 2005
Year 2004
Appendix: 2