Reef Subsea secures first pipeline trenching contract for jet trencher

May 6, 2014
Reef Subsea has secured its first pipeline trenching project for its Q1000 jet trencher on the Sierra L5 pipeline for client GDF Suez.

Offshore staff

THORNABY, UK –Reef Subsea has secured its first pipeline trenching project for its Q1000 jet trencher on the Sierra L5 pipeline for client GDF Suez.

This month, Reef Subsea will mobilize the Q1000 jet trencher onboard theReef Despina construction support vessel to provide trenching of the rigid pipeline in the Dutch sector of the North Sea. The Sierra L5 pipeline project, which is located 96 km (60 mi) off the coast of the Netherlands, will require Reef Subsea to operate in water depths up to 42 m (138 ft).

The Q1000 jet trencher is a jet-trenching ROV, embracing the latest technologies in jet trenching and ROV design. With 750 kW of total installed power and 700 kW of variable jetting power, the Q1000 is capable of trenching pipelines, umbilicals, and cables up to 3 m (10 ft) in the seabed.

Due to client requirements, Reef Subsea will deliver the vessel spread to the operator in a short lead-time, demonstrating the company’s flexibility and fast reaction. The Q1000 will be pre-mobilized onboard theReef Despina and will be ready for further workscopes this year.

Although the Q1000 has built a solid track record for the burial of cables, particularly in offshore wind farms, this workscope will mark the first time the jet trencher has performed the burial of a pipeline. This project will come ahead of the Q1000’s secured work withTechnip on the Bøyla Development Project in May.

05/06/2014