wiredInUSA June 2018

The Dig-It is a tracked, remotely operated vehicle, using its tracks as its primary method of propulsion. The trencher can be operated in two modes, jetting and chain cutting.In 2016, Ørsted contracted Van Oord to transport, install and bury infield cables for the Borkum Riffgrund 2 offshore wind farm.

“Our … SL17 cable product has been an industry standard for years, known for its reliability and flexibility,” said Dean Wahlberg, vice president of manufacturing operations at TE SubCom. “Designed in response to customer demands we’re pleased to bring the new A1 product to market, and are looking forward to adding this cable to our already comprehensive list of available products.” To meet demand for the new cable, an additional power conductor line has been added to SubCom’s NewHampshire factory to increase its production capabilities. Digging in Van Oord’s new trencher, the Dig-It, has expanded the company’s cable laying and burial capabilities with remote-controlled trench jetting and cutting. Van Oord used the Dig-It for the first time in March, on the Borkum Riffgrund 2 project in the German sector of the North Sea. The Dig-It, also known as the Q trencher 1600, is the most powerful of the Q trencher series with a total installedpower of 1,200kW.

Van Oord deployed its cable-laying vessel, Nexus , to install the infield cables and interlink cables to the Borkum Riffgrund 1 offshore substation, and the Dig-It began burying the cables in May 2018. S S Expanded cable laying and burial capabilities with the new Dig-It

The cable installation works should be finished in July 2018.

Once a cable has been laid on the seabed, the Dig-It will bury it to the required depth.

Underground development

Depending on the configuration and soil characteristics, the trencher can bury cables down to 3m.

Canada’s Lorex Technology has released an outdoor, underground Category 6

wiredInUSA - June 2018

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