With the new plans of the European Union, designating new areas in the North Sea for wind parks, the offshore renewable industry continues to grow. With this announcement, the already substantial offshore industry is going to experience an extraordinary expansion in the coming decade.
This unprecedented expansion will lead to a growth in the number of subsea cable failures. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that there is an adequate and effective solution when a cable has to be repaired. Over the last decade, Vos Prodect has continuously invented itself based on market demands and new insights and trends from all offshore industries.
First of all, prevention is better than cure. Over the last years, the consequences of using polyurethane cable protectors have become more and more clear. The operational lifetime of polyurethane subsea cable protection systems is significantly shorter than initially assumed and they isolate the cables resulting in thermal problems. Vos Prodect identified these problems at an early stage and has been using cast-iron shells for more than 20 years. These articulated pipes allow heat dissipation, which ensures the cable is cooled naturally. Since cast iron is heavier than polyurethane, it will remain stable on the seabed. As they are smaller in dimensions with high density, they add more stability to the submarine cable and will ensure that there is less movement around the free-span areas.
In case a submarine cable has been damaged, the cable has to be repaired or replaced. To make the process of subsea cable repair easier, Vos Prodect has designed the Joint Bend Restrictor. These ‘Repair Joints’, also known in the market as Joint Boxes, have been developed to accommodate safe cable handling during an offshore cable repair. The Cable Protectors have to protect the cable against overbending during the installation of the finished cable repair. It also allows for the free span area to be fully secured whilst lowering the cable onto the seabed.
One of the critical points regarding offshore cable repair relates to precious time when working with the cable. The Joint Bend Restrictor of Vos Prodect is a fast and efficient method to install and operate without the use of additional ancillaries. All of our products continuously undergo vigorous quality and conformity checks, and testing is performed extensively. Vos Prodect offers preliminary installation support as well as opportunities to attend ‘training days’, to experience first-hand the ease of assembly and installation for our product range.
The technical sales engineer at Vos Prodect Cagatay Aygar quotes: ‘’The cable protection systems of Vos Prodect are highly engineered based on decades of experience in the offshore business, saving considerable assembly time and costs.’’ Another major point of concern during offshore installation is the maximum bending radius (MBR), which ensures that the cable is overstressed and breaks. ‘’Specifically for this, Vos Prodect has developed a method to monitor the MBR during the execution of verification tests. With a variety of tests, including destructive tests, Vos Prodect creates reliable and sustainable solutions.