zoom Peter Caluwaerts and Bart Heijermans

DeepOcean 1 UK Ltd., a subsidiary of DeepOcean Group, has been awarded the inter array cable installation contract for the Bligh Bank Phase II Offshore Wind Farm in Belgium.

Nobelwind NV is developing the Bligh Bank Phase II Offshore Wind Farm with fifty 3.3MW wind turbines offshore Belgium, with an estimated installed generating power of 165MW.

The individual WTGs are to be connected in strings with 33kV inter-array cables, linking back to the Nobelwind Offshore High Voltage Substation (OHVS). From this point, an export cable will connect the Nobelwind OHVS to the existing 220kV Northwind OHVS. The offshore wind park will be constructed adjoining the existing phase of the Bligh Bank concession, also known as Belwind I.

DeepOcean’s scope under this contract includes pre-lay surveys, pre-lay grapnel runs, installation and trenching of 50 array cables, design and supply of the cable protection systems, installation and trenching of a coupling cable between the Nobelwind and Belwind I OHVS, pull-in and trenching of the pre-installed Nobelwind export cable and all associated design and engineering activities.

Cable termination and testing works, support and management is an option under the current contractual agreement. Design and Engineering works have already started. The offshore execution will start in Q3 2016 and run into Q4 2016. The optional termination and testing scope could run into Q2 2017.

”This award of array cables installation for Nobelwind is the first commitment for DeepOcean’s new chartered cable lay vessel currently being constructed by Damen Yard for delivery early 2016. Yet again DeepOcean’s experienced personnel prove our ability to find competitive solutions to be executed by our suite of subsea vessels and assets,” Ottar Maeland DeepOcean’s EVP Greater North Sea comments.

The DP2 Support Vessel Deep Helder will support cable lay operations executing crossing preparations, surveys, foundation preparation for the cable pull-ins. The trenching support vessel Volantis, home of the free-flying jet trencher UT-1, is nominated for all trenching operations.