Sustainable Marine is unveiling its next-gen remotely operated rock anchor installation system at Wind Energy Hamburg 2022.
The AROV2 system, is the culmination of a decade of research, development and demonstration into direct embedment anchors drilled into the seabed, according to the company.
It will form a key asset for Sustainable Marine’s new ‘Swift Anchors’ division, which offers a broad range of solutions to facilitate faster and more cost-effective mooring installations for the offshore renewables sector, including floating wind.
Swift Anchors’ technology has been informed by Sustainable Marine’s vast experience deploying its own brand of floating tidal energy platforms.
It has further benefited from Scotland’s world-class offshore expertise, including extensive underwater robotics, initially developed for the region’s oil and gas sector and now supporting the marine renewables movement, the company added.
AROV2 was assembled by Brimmond Group, in Kintore, with the control system and hydraulics module supplied by world-leading subsea engineering specialist SMD.
Falkirk’s Outreach Offshore supplied the integrated control cabin and umbilical winch, and Dales Engineering Services, from Peterhead, supported with fabrication work.
The next-gen system is capable of installing Swift Anchors’ full range of anchor solutions including large helical screw anchors in sand, shingle and clay; rock anchors into a range of rocks and grouted piles for mixed seabed geologies.
Typically, the rock anchors will provide an alternative to drag embedment and gravity anchors for floating wind in areas with rocky seabeds.
It consists of a control cabin and constant tension umbilical winch which is integrated into a 20′ container.
The remotely operated machine features a 150kW subsea HPU enabling operation at depths of circa 200m, with the ability to extend up to 1,000m simply by using a longer electrical and control umbilical if required.
Swift Anchors managing director David Ainsworth said the operation is poised to support the anticipated lift-off in floating wind, with more than 15GW of installed capacity expected by 2030, according to the Global Wind Energy Council.
“Swift Anchors is officially open for business after successfully completing FAT (Factory Acceptance Testing) for our next-gen anchor installation system.
“The system has been designed with capability expansion in mind for longer and larger anchors to support the massive future opportunity in floating offshore wind.
“It can install anchors with more than a thousand tonnes of holding capacity, addressing the requirements for floating wind for the next decade.
“We are hugely grateful to our supply chain who have been instrumental in the completing this milestone, and we will now press on to demonstrate the system in use using Sustainable Marine Canada’s vessel, the Tidal Pioneer, in Nova Scotia, installing anchors to moor the firm’s floating tidal energy platforms at the highly energetic FORCE demonstration site.
“It will then be used to install anchors for ORPC’s TidGen deployment in Maine, USA.”