LoVe Observatory Extension Tender Out

Norwegian Institute of Marine Research in Bergen (IMR) has issued a tender invitation for delivery and deployment of electro-optical umbilical cables and subsea distribution units for extension of the ‘Lofoten-Vesterålen Cabled Ocean Observatory’ (LoVe).

Lofoten-Vesterålen cabled observatory (LoVe) is an ocean observation infrastructure off Hovden, Vesterålen, comprising sea floor cables and sensors.

The first part of the infrastructure has been installed and in operation since 2013. It includes a land station, a sea floor node (Node 1) and an umbilical that interconnects them.

This system is run as a cooperation between IMR and Statoil. The existing infrastructure is now now planned to be extended with Nodes 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. The extension is financed by the Research Council of Norway (RCN), together with in-kind contributions from partners in the LoVe consortium.

To remind, the LoVe observatory was awarded 72 million Norwegian Kroner in infrastructure funding from the RCN in June 2015.

IMR, as the main responsible partner and project manager is dividing the scope into two deliveries.

The first is to supply and install the backbone power and communication system.

Tender details

Electro-optical umbilicals to interconnect Nodes 1, 2, 3, 4, and to connect Node 7 to Node 1. Subsea Distribution Units (SDUs) for Nodes 2 and 3. These are sea floor installations to serve as buffers between the umbilical system and the instrument platforms at the nodes. The scope includes: 4 Electro-optical umbilicals to interconnect nodes (5-8 km each); 2 Subsea Distribution Units.

Furthermore, a parallel tender invitation will be issued for the instruments and instrument platforms at Nodes 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.