Author: Tom Howard

Subsea Innovation Limited, a Tekmar Group company, has completed the design, build and delivery of twenty-nine Pipe-in-Pipe (PIP) Waterstops to TechnipFMC for a subsea development project in the Gulf of Mexico.

The robust solution was delivered to a demanding client schedule, achieved by working closely with our supply chain and TechnipFMC.

We further expedited the delivery by applying knowledge gained from our recently concluded PIP R&D programme. This contributed to the successful first-time pass of pressure and heat temperature factory acceptance tests at our premises in Darlington, UK and post-bend pressure tests conducted at the Clients premises in the USA. Subsea Innovation’s Offshore Service Team were on hand in the USA to support testing and onsite installation of the PIP waterstops.

This was a fantastic team effort by Subsea Innovation.

To find out more, contact info@subsea.co.uk.

Tekmar Group, a leading provider of technology and services for the global offshore energy markets, is pleased to announce a significant new contract award to supply 100 Cable Protection Systems (“CPS”) for use on multiple offshore wind farms in the Shangdong and Guangdong provinces of China. The contract value is for £1.6m and the systems are expected to be delivered through 2022.

Alasdair MacDonald, CEO of Tekmar Group, said: “This award is a continuation of our recent contract momentum and builds on our success in the important Chinese market. The contract reflects the hard work of our team in Shanghai and strengthens the Group’s presence in the region, supporting our global growth strategy.

Tekmar Group is pleased to announce the award of a significant new contract to provide an integrated engineering solution, including Cable Protection Systems (“CPS”), for an offshore wind farm project in the US. The contract is expected to be delivered in 2023.

Alasdair MacDonald, CEO of Tekmar Group, said: “This landmark contract award strengthens our position in the US offshore wind market and represents an important milestone in expanding our geographical presence, a key driver of our growth strategy. The contract builds on our encouraging recent contract momentum, including the Dogger Bank Wind Farm, and highlights Tekmar’s range of in-house engineering capabilities to address complex engineering challenges and de-risk cable protection projects. We look forward to delivering on our part of this project.“

Pipeshield International Limited, a Tekmar Group company, is pleased to announce the award of a patent for its high payload multi-lift concrete mattresses solution – the SUPER-MAT.

Since its invention and patent application, the SUPER-MAT has been a revelation in the Offshore Energy and Marine Civils markets. Designed as a lifting device when used with Pipeshield’s specialist heavy duty quick release frames the SUPER-MAT enables the handling of mattresses in stacks, providing substantial savings during vessel mobilisations and offshore installation activities.

The SUPER-MAT lifting device acts as a base mattress that connects directly to a unique lifting frame.  Additional mattresses are then stacked on top and are lifted simultaneously with the SUPER-MAT carrying the load. This can reduce the number of lifts required by up to 5 times depending on the mattress type. Once loaded on the vessel, the SUPER-MAT is left in place and can be deployed offshore either as a standard mattress or as a mattress stack for further deployment subsea.

By optimising the loadout and offshore installation process, the SUPER-MAT solution provides substantial savings on handling, installation and vessel costs, as well as deck space and additional equipment hire charges associated with other commonly used industry practices such as Speedloaders.

The SUPER-MAT was designed and developed by Pipeshield’s in-house Technical Design Team as part of an ongoing R&D programme that brings new and improved products to the industry to improve existing methodologies, safety, vessel utilisation, and best working practice. The SUPER-MAT has already been used by many of the energy majors and has been independently assessed and technically approved by a major subcontractor for the multiple handling of concrete mattresses.

Steve Howlett, Pipeshield Managing Director commented “Pipeshield’s aim is to deliver the most cost effective and technically viable solutions for applications within our sector of industry. The SUPER-MAT concept and development is another example of best practice introduced by Pipeshield to improve operational efficiencies and add value to the customer’s bottom line”.

This new patent award illustrates Tekmar Group’s continued investment in its core markets and technology, which aligns with the company’s growth strategy to maintain and strengthen its market leading position, future proof its technologies and diversify into new markets, regionally and across the whole project life cycle, in offshore wind and marine civils.

To learn more about the SUPER-MAT visit pipeshield.com.

Subsea Innovation Limited, a Tekmar Group company, has recently provided Leask Marine Ltd with onsite engineering and consultancy support, including assisting with trials and assessing the design of Leask Marine’s Submersible Drilling Rig (SDR).

The work was carried out both offshore in Orkney, UK and at Subsea Innovations engineering HQ in Darlington, UK, and builds on the successful working relationship between both parties, having collaborated and worked together on projects earlier in the year and dating back to 2019.

Visit subsea.co.uk to learn more about Subsea Innovation’s onsite and offshore support and services.

Tekmar Group, a leading provider of technology and services for the global offshore energy markets, is pleased to announce the award of a significant new contract to provide pipeline support and protection materials for a major subsea construction project in the Middle East.

The contract award is for a value in excess of USD 10 million and is anticipated to be delivered in the Group’s current financial year ending 30 September 2022.

Tekmar Energy Limited, a Tekmar Group company, a leading provider of technology and services for the global offshore energy markets, is pleased to announce a major contract award by DEME Offshore to supply Cable Protection Systems (CPS) for the Dogger Bank Wind Farm in the UK.

Dogger Bank is a 3.6GW offshore wind farm located 130km off the North East coast of England. The project is a joint venture between SSE Renewables, Equinor and Eni and is set to become the world’s largest offshore wind farm, capable of generating enough renewable energy to power six million UK homes once fully operational.

Tekmar Energy has signed a contract with EPCI contractor DEME Offshore to design, manufacture, and supply Generation 10 TekTube CPS to protect subsea inter array cables on the first two phases of the wind farm, Dogger Bank A and B, with a customer option for the third phase, Dogger Bank C. The award is Tekmar Energy’s largest CPS supply contract to date.

All systems will be manufactured at Tekmar’s state-of-the-art facility in the North East of England which is located less than 50km from Dogger Bank’s export cable landfall site in Teesside for the third phase of the project. The first systems are expected to be delivered from August 2022 with production continuing into 2024.

The project is benefiting from Tekmar Group’s unique engineering capability and extensive industry experience, with Tekmar Energy working alongside sister companies Subsea Innovation, AgileTek Engineering and Ryder Geotechnical to design a holistic cable protection solution that is engineered to overcome the wind farm’s challenging site conditions.

Gary Howland, Tekmar Group Sales Director, said:

“As a company headquartered in the North East of England, we are extremely proud to play a part in this hugely significant project for the region and look forward to working with DEME Offshore to successfully deliver the project.”

DEME Offshore commented:

“Following a long pre-award engineering and tendering process, we trust to have found a major professional subcontractor for the delivery of the CPS products for this significant project and look forward to combine our forces on this project in the years ahead.”

Dogger Bank Wind Farm Project Director Steve Wilson, said:

“We are delighted to welcome this leading north-east manufacturer to the supply chain for the world’s largest offshore wind farm. To secure this contract on our ground-breaking development, Tekmar has demonstrated world-class capability and expertise. With more than 3,000 UK jobs now associated with the construction and operation of the wind farm, we can say with certainty that with the right support and the right opportunities, our offshore wind supply chain here in the UK is becoming increasingly globally competitive.”

Dogger Bank Wind Farm facts:

• The 3.6GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm when completed in 2026
• It is being built in three 1.2GW phases: Dogger Bank A, B and C
• Dogger Bank A and B is a joint venture between SSE Renewables (40%), Equinor (40%) and Eni (20%). In November 2021 SSE Renewables and Equinor, 50:50 joint venture partners in Dogger Bank C, announced Eni will take a 20% stake in the third phase, with SSE Renewables and Equinor maintaining 40% stakes each. The deal is expected to complete in Q1 2022, subject to regulatory approval
• SSE Renewables is lead operator for the development and construction of Dogger Bank Wind Farm. Equinor will be lead operator of the wind farm on completion for its expected operational life of around 35 years
• Financial Close on Dogger Bank A and Dogger Bank B was reached in November 2020, with Financial Close for Dogger Bank C reached in December 2021. Taken in aggregate, reaching Financial Close on all three phases of Dogger Bank Wind Farm is the largest offshore wind project financing to date globally
• Consent for Dogger Bank Wind Farm was granted in 2015
• Each of the three phases of Dogger Bank Wind Farm secured 15-year CfD contracts for 1.2GW of low carbon power for of low carbon power production in the UK’s third CfD Allocation Round, announced September 2019
• In May 2021, Dogger Bank Wind Farm took another major step forward after passing a required delivery milestone under the UK’s Contracts for Difference scheme for low carbon power
• Dogger Bank Wind Farm is located in the North Sea, with each phase more than 130km from the Yorkshire Coast
• Onshore construction began in 2020 and is currently underway for Dogger Bank A and Dogger Bank B, with offshore construction on Dogger Bank A due to begin in Q2 2022. First power is expected in Summer 2023 and Summer 2024 for Dogger Bank A and B, respectively, with commercial operations to follow around 6 months later
• Onshore cable installation civils works for Dogger Bank C will start in Q1 2022, with construction of the onshore convertor station to commence in Q2 2022. Offshore export cable installation will commence in Q1 2024 with offshore platform installation to commence in Q2, 2024. Foundation installation will commence in Q3, 2024 while turbine installation will commence in Q2, 2025. First power is anticipated in Q3, 2025 and full power in Q1, 2026
• Almost 3000 new UK jobs have been announced so far that will be supported by the construction and operation of Dogger Bank Wind Farm
• These include up to 750 direct and around 1,500 indirect jobs associated with the set-up of a new world-class blade manufacturing facility on Teesside by LM Wind Power, a GE Renewable Energy business, with production due to start in 2023
• 470 jobs are expected to be recruited by GE Renewable Energy across the north east of England in support of the delivery and operation of all three phases of the project. These will be made up of around 300 skilled roles for turbine installation and commissioning activities and 170 servicing roles at Port of Tyne under GE’s five-year Service and Warranty Agreements for Dogger Bank phases A, B and C once operational
• At least a further 30 roles will be hired by Equinor as operator of the wind farm, based at the Port of Tyne or offshore
• 170 new full-time UK-based jobs will be created by North Star Renewables in crewing and shore-based roles for the operation of the three-vessel service fleet for Dogger Bank Wind Farm
• Up to 100 peak construction jobs will be created by Jones Bros. Civil Engineering, one of the UK’s leading civil engineering contractors, on the installation of onshore cable infrastructure for Dogger Bank A and B
• Dogger Bank A and B has confirmed GE’s Haliade-X 13MW as the turbine powering the first two phases of the project. As the first order for the Haliade-X 13MW, installation at Dogger Bank A will be the first time the turbine is installed in the world
• Installation of GE’s upscaled Haliade-X 14MW turbine at Dogger Bank C will be the first time the 14MW turbine is installed in the world
• One rotation of the Haliade-X turbine blades can power one UK home for more than two days
• The wind turbines will be installed on monopile foundations
• Dogger Bank will be the first High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) connected wind farm in the UK due to its distance from shore, introducing new transmission systems to the UK and paving the way for other large offshore wind farms

For more information about Dogger Bank Wind Farm visit www.doggerbank.com

About Tekmar Group:

Tekmar Group plc works together to provide market-leading technology and services to the global offshore energy markets. Tekmar Group’s primary operating companies are Ryder Geotechnical Limited, AgileTek Engineering Limited, Subsea Innovation Limited, Tekmar Energy Limited, and Pipeshield International Limited.

Tekmar Energy Limited is the market-leading provider of subsea protection systems for cables, umbilicals, and flexible products. The company is trusted to protect billions of pounds worth of subsea assets in offshore energy markets worldwide.

The growing offshore wind farm market requires a sustainable value chain capable of delivering robust and long-lasting subsea infrastructure whilst reducing the industry’s environmental impact. To achieve this, the offshore industry is urgently seeking renewable materials matching their high-performance requirements from the supply chain.

Covestro and Tekmar Group have embraced this challenge and are collaborating to develop more sustainable subsea products by leveraging each other’s expertise in their respective fields. Covestro Elastomers develops cast elastomer systems to provide solutions for the offshore energy market. Tekmar is a leading producer of polyurethane-based cable protection systems for the global offshore energy markets.

A key component of the cable protection system is the bend restrictor, which along with the rest of the system, is designed to protect cables in the ocean for decades. So, what about an alternative polyurethane elastomer system for the more sustainable casting of these products?

One of the major challenges is the reconciliation of sustainability and technical performance, without any compromise on quality. To solve this, Covestro has developed a new polyurethane elastomer system based on its CO₂ Technology, now called Triturn^®, which positively contributes to reducing the products´ carbon footprint.

The new system for bend restrictors from Covestro, which was recently honoured with the UTECH Europe Award 2021 in the CASE category (CASE stands for coatings, adhesives, sealants, and elastomers), allows to reuse CO₂ as a valuable material source in polyol production and to reduce up to 20 percent of the fossil raw materials which is normally used for the polyol. The new system also makes significant technical gains by being easier to process and improving non-aging properties in saltwater. Tekmar is using the new PU system to manufacture sample products at its facility in the North East of England and is currently conducting a range of tests on the products.

Marc Bell, Managing Director at Tekmar Energy, says: “Tekmar is committed to developing more sustainable solutions for the offshore energy markets. Working with Covestro enables us to explore alternative solutions which we can share with our customers to support their transition to cleaner energy and net-zero emission targets”.

Through a long-term collaboration, Covestro and Tekmar are looking to proactively shape the subsea protection industry by introducing alternative and more sustainable solutions to move the offshore industry forward.

Tekmar Energy Limited, a Tekmar Group Company, is pleased to announce a contract award by Global Offshore to supply Cable Protection Systems (CPS) for the Arcadis Ost 1 offshore wind farm in Germany.

Arcadis Ost 1 is a 257 MW offshore wind project developed by Parkwind. The project will be located in the Baltic Sea, northeast of the island of Rügen in Germany.

Under the supply contract, Tekmar Energy will design, manufacture, and supply its latest generation of TekTube CPS to protect the wind farms array cables as they transition from the seabed into the wind turbine foundation at 27 separate locations. The CPS will be manufactured at Tekmar Energy’s state-of-the-art facility in the North East of England and delivered to Global Offshore in 2022.

Tekmar Group’s comprehensive engineering capability and unrivalled industry experience make it uniquely positioned to deliver the optimum cable protection solution. This was demonstrated by Tekmar Energy working alongside fellow Group companies Ryder Geotechnical, Subsea Innovation and AgileTek Engineering to engineer and optimise CPS for Arcadis Ost 1.

Marc Bell, Managing Director at Tekmar Energy, said: “We are delighted that Global Offshore has selected Tekmar Energy’s Generation 10 CPS technology to protect Arcadis Ost 1. This project award demonstrates the industry’s continued confidence in our subsea protection solutions. We look forward to working with Global Offshore to ensure cost-effective and timely project delivery”.

Mark Gillespie, Managing Director at Global Offshore, part of the Global Marine Group, commented “With Tekmar Energy supporting the Arcadis Ost 1 project, we have a proven and reliable CPS partner. Global Offshore has full confidence in successful project delivery and is delighted to have Tekmar Energy onboard”.

Tekmar Energy Limited, a Tekmar Group Company, is pleased to announce the award of Bend Restrictor supply contracts by Hellenic Cables, the cables segment of Cenergy Holdings, for subsea cable projects in Denmark and Greece. 

The contract will see Tekmar Energy design, manufacture, and supply Bend Restrictors for the KBH02 “København02” submarine cable project in Denmark, to protect a 145kV cable system connecting the Amager waste-to-energy power plant to the Svanemølle substation in Denmark. Tekmar Energy will also supply Bend Restrictors to protect a 70km subsea power cable connecting the 330MW Kafireas II wind farm on Evia Island to mainland Greece.

The systems will be manufactured at Tekmar Energy’s Newton Aycliffe facility in North East England and delivered in Q3 2021.

About Tekmar Energy and Tekmar Group

Tekmar Energy Limited is the market-leading provider of subsea protection systems for cables, umbilicals, and flexible products. The company is trusted to protect billions of pounds worth of subsea assets in offshore energy markets worldwide.

Tekmar Group plc works together to provide market-leading technology and services to the global offshore energy markets. Tekmar Group’s primary operating companies are Ryder Geotechnical Limited, AgileTek Engineering Limited, Subsea Innovation Limited, Tekmar Energy Limited, and Pipeshield International Limited.