Excalibur trencher system now available
OceanWorks International Inc. has installed and completed trials of a pipeline trenching upgrade package for the 1,200-hp Excalibur trencher system for Global Marine Systems Ltd. (GMSL). The Excalibur is mobilized onboard theBold Endeavour, operated by Vantage Subsea, a joint venture between GMSL and Phoenix International Inc.
Previously limited to cable burial operations, the upgraded Excalibur system is now capable of trenching pipelines up to 24 in. in diameter with a maximum burial depth of 3 m in water depths to 2,000 m. Modifications to Excalibur include the supply of 2-m and 3-m jetting arms, a forward and aft-mounted pipe roller drive system, a pump driven soil removal system, and a trench backfill capability. One of the unique upgrade features is the pump-driven soil removal system, the company says. With 1,200 hp, the Excalibur powers a pump that can pass both abrasive slurries and solids up to 6 in. in diameter. This enables Excalibur to excavate well-defined trench profiles that are essential to the successful burial of pipeline products, OceanWorks says.
OceanWorks provided local design, engineering, and manufacturing of this equipment in Houston, Texas, enabling close cooperation with the end user, Vantage Subsea. Following successful sea trials in the Gulf of Mexico onboard theBold Endeavour, Vantage is offering the Excalibur system to the oil and gas industry for trenching projects.