Lowestoft-based Pipeshield International has been awarded the contract by the offshore construction company DeepOcean to supply the 2nd phase scour protection for the East Anglia One (EA1) offshore wind farm.
The award follows the successful delivery of the 1st PHASE manufactured and supplied at the end of 2018, said the provider of specialised subsea pipeline protection systems to oil and gas majors and offshore contractors.
Similar in scope to the first phase, Pipeshield will manufacture and supply over 300 bespoke fronded concrete mattresses, manufactured at the port of Great Yarmouth within close proximity of the deep water berth.
To optimise loadout operations, Pipeshield will supply 34no. patented Wet Storage bases. Preloaded quayside, the high payload system will enable the fast loading of stacks of mattresses, securely fastened on the bases and secured in place to the deck of the installation vessel.
The system means mattresses are lifted in a horizontal position, retaining the integrity and protection of the FCM system in situ. This system is commonly used for both installation of multiple mattresses as well as decommissioning mats.
Fronds are a dense carpet of strands, like seaweed, woven together to create a system which slows down the sediment on the seabed, causing it to fall and create natural burial.
The fronded concrete mattresses or FCM’s, are of Pipeshield’s own design and utilises their specialist three part frond system. A recyclable protective cover protects the system during storage and transportation. This is removed prior to installation.
Once the mattress is in place on the seabed a detachable safety net is pulled away releasing the frond system and starting the burial process.
The frond system is fixed to one of Pipeshields 6m x 3m concrete bi-flex mattresses with their patented nose to notch block design (N2 Edge). This block design is proven to provide up to three times more edge stability compared to a standard block design.
Pipeshield’s General Manager David Blake said: “Following last years award we are delighted to receive the 2nd PHASE contract by DeepOcean. We were ahead of schedule the first time and received very positive feedback from the client so it was important that we doubled our efforts to build upon that success."
"The EA1 project is such a significant project and with so many huge projects on the horizon it is important that we let our actions do the talking. Local content has been discussed a lot during contract negotiations, so again it is particularly nice that we have been able to utilise both Lowestoft for this project (Design & Contracts) and Great Yarmouth (Manufacture & Delivery)," he added.