• The heavy-duty plough was developed with SMD, a UK subsea engineering company, and is the largest in Prysmian's fleet
• The first of two tools can bury power cables up to five metres deep where seabed conditions allow
The fact
Prysmian has put a new heavy-duty cable burial plough into operation for submarine power projects. Developed with UK subsea engineering company SMD, it is the largest and most powerful burial tool in Prysmian’s fleet. The equipment is designed to bury conventional multi-core cables, bundled two-pole cables, and quad bundles up to five metres below the mean seabed level, depending on ground conditions.
The plough is the first of two tools ordered from SMD, with the second scheduled for delivery later this year. It will operate from Prysmian’s Monna Lisa and Alessandro Volta cable-laying vessels. The company’s marine base in Middlesbrough will plan and deploy the burial work for offshore power links and interconnector projects.
The assessment
The new plough changes what Prysmian can do during the burial stage of a subsea cable project. Its installation fleet can now handle routes that require cables to be placed deeper below the seabed, provided the tool suits the cable design and ground conditions. Prysmian must still determine the required burial depth through route surveys and engineering work. The five-metre figure is the tool's maximum capability, not a depth that will apply to every project.
For BTW readers, owning the plough does not expand Prysmian's project workload by itself. The practical change is that the company can offer deeper burial when a project specification requires it, without bringing in a separate burial system for that stage of installation.
What to watch
Watch for Prysmian to identify the first project assigned to the new plough, including the required burial depth and seabed conditions. The scheduled delivery of the second SMD tool will indicate when the equipment becomes available across more than one installation programme.