James Fisher Subsea Excavation completes first project in Taiwan
Global subsea excavation specialist James Fisher Subsea Excavation (JFSE), a part of James Fisher and Sons plc, has completed its first project in Taiwan.
Experts from the world’s most trusted, experienced and innovative mass/controlled flow excavation (M/CFE) provider deployed the shallow draft Twin R2000 tool to de-bury and retrench a cable for maintenance as part of the prominent Formosa 1 windfarm development for its client, cable lay contractor Woen Jinn Harbor (WJH).
The Twin R2000’s non-contact method and ability to operate in very shallow water depths was critical to the success of the excavation which was completed in just 50 hours – significantly ahead of schedule.
Formosa 1, near Miaoli on the west coast of Taiwan, is a 130MW windfarm and will be the area's first commercial-scale offshore wind project. The first two turbines went live earlier this year.
Lee Cheng-Yu, director at WJH, said:
“This was a complex element of the project. We needed to use an M/CFE provider that had a strong track record in the offshore windfarm market so we could fully trust the cables would be protected during the process. The JFSE team and the Twin R2000 provided a fantastic service.”
JFSE’s fleet of tools provides a non-contact form of excavation that eliminates the risks associated with other excavation methods. Further enhancing their capabilities, the tools have the additional benefit of real-time sonar imaging which enables precision excavation. The tools are used for applications including pipeline and cable trenching, de-burial, rock dump dispersal and seabed clearance and preparations. The M/CFE spreads are ideal for moving materials such as sand, silt and mud, drill cuttings, clay and rock dump.
This was JFSE’s first project in the emerging Asia Pacific renewables industry. Worldwide, it has completed more than 70 excavations at offshore windfarm sites.
Richard Beattie, regional director Asia Pacific at JFSE, said:
“We are delighted to have successfully completed our first project in Taiwan and provided WJH with the perfect solution for its subsea excavation requirements. The Twin R2000’s flexibility to operate in shallow water depths from 1.5m and non-contact method was vital.
With an established network, depth of expertise and incomparable range of tools based in the region, we are primed to offer the efficiencies of M/CFE to increasing numbers of clients in the emerging Asia Pacific renewables marketplace.”
With strategically located equipment and personnel hubs on five continents and access to sister company expertise in 40 countries, JFSE is the true global power in the industry. Its experienced team is responsible for the successful completion of more than 460 projects.
