Subsea Cables & Pipeline Trenching
Maximising Reliability & Minimising Risk. Safety Underpins Everything We Do!

Our Underwater Trenching Solutions

Our Trenching and Related Services

Subtrench has extensive capability to successfully enable it to readily and competently perform all aspects of trenching work, including, but not limited to:

In particular, Subtrench has sound and proven expertise and operational experience in the following areas:

• Pipeline and stiff flexible and umbilical trenching;
• Cable, flexibles and umbilical trenching;
• Remedial trenching of pipelines, cables, flexibles and umbilicals;
• Achieving trenching parameters including trench depth, trenching stresses, out of vertical straightness tolerances, transitions, span corrections, high point corrections, etc;
• Performing all necessary trenching project management and engineering ranging from risk analysis through to pipeline trenching stress analysis;
• Developing procedures and methodologies for engineering, fabrication, operations and mobilisation/ demobilisation to suit the individual and differing needs of each project;
• Engineering, setup and mobilising vessels for trenching operations;
• Operations from barges and pontoon barges with trenching from above the water line through inter tidal through very shallow to deep waters;
• Operations from DP vessels from shallow to deep waters;
• Providing diverless operations;

Pipelines, Stiff Flexibles & Umbilicals (Back to TOP of PAGE)

Modern day trenching projects place a much higher demand on the capability, performance, safety, environmental impact and reliability of subsea trenching equipment and associated operating methodologies than in the past. Pipelines, stiff flexibles and umbilicals are being required to be trenched to greater depths for longer distances and in more remote and environmentally hostile and sensitive areas. The need to operate in the range from very shallow waters inaccessible to most vessels through to deeper waters is also necessary. The trenching equipment is required to handle a wider range of soil types, often unknown, at greater reliability and faster trenching speeds. Upheaval buckling is also more prominent.

Drawing on their extensive past trenching experience, Subtrench has built and operated the proprietary Subtrench One , a modern day trenching machine to achieve these objectives. (Click on the Subtrench One link for a Data Sheet and Images).

Subtrench One Pipeline Trenching Machine Data Sheet Pdf (150k)

Cables, Flexibles & Umbilicals (Back to TOP of PAGE)

Similarly to the requirements for the pipeline and stiff flexible and umbilical trenching machine - Subtrench One - modern day cable, umbilical & flexible projects also place a much higher demand on the capability, performance, safety, environmental impact and reliability of subsea trenching equipment and associated operating methodologies than in the past.

Cables, flexibles and umbilicals are less robust than pipelines and hence the trenching machine needs to provide additional measures to minimise the risk of damage during trenching operations. With the advent of offshore wind farms, power cable sizes are increasing and require a handling system suitable for the larger minimum bend radius whilst still maintaining relatively low external loads on the cables. The cable, flexible or umbilical is being required to be trenched to depth on a single pass. The trenching depth is increasing for longer distances and in the case of wind farms; the shore crossing is often in densely populated and environmentally sensitive areas. The need to operate in the range from above the water line and very shallow waters inaccessible to most vessels through to deeper waters is also required. The trenching equipment is required to handle a wider range of soil types, often unknown, at greater reliability and faster trenching speeds. There is also the need to be able to perform remedial trenching of cables that have become exposed over time.

To accommodate the changing requirements for cable, flexible and umbilical trenching, Subtrench has built and operated the proprietary Subtrench Two, a modern day cable trenching machine to achieve these objectives. (Click on the Subtrench Two link for a Data Sheet and Images).

Subtrench Two Trenching Machine Data Sheet Pdf (150k)

Further Information

For further information, please feel free to call us +61 (0) 400 922 188, send us an email to marketing@subtrench.com or use our Contact Us form to send an online inquiry. We will endeavor to respond to your email or Inquiry Form submission within 24 business hours.

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