Subsea Pipeline Trenching
OES are world leaders in subsea pipeline and cable trenching technology.
The personnel of the company has spent thirty years developing over eighteen jet machines, jet sleds, plows and mechanical cutters that have trenched over 143 submarine pipelines, flexible flow lines, umbilicals and cables in a variety of soils including sands, silts and soft and hard clays. OES currently own and operate 8 post trenching machines that have trenched 52 pipelines in 12 countries since 1995.
Ocean Engineering Systems and their personnel have to their credit thirteen "World's First" achievements in subsea pipeline/cable trenching. They are:
- 1992 First jetting using a dynamically positioned (DP) vessel.
- 1992 Deepest jetting in 110 metre water depth off New Zealand.
- 1979 Deepest pipe trench (3 metres) in a single pass.
- 1985 First post trenching rock cutting machine.
- 1980 First diverless plough.
- 1995 First major pipeline shore crossing by post trenching.
- 1998 First post trenching in 10 knot currents.
- 1999 Deepest water depth (400m) hydraulic powered jetting sled.
- 1999 Deepest trench (6m), most stringent pipeline tolerance vertical out of straightness to prevent upheaval buckling.
- 1999 First bi-directional trencher for shore crossings.
- 2001 First post trenched shore crossings in 4 metre seas.
- 2002 First diverless pipeline jetting machine.
- 2002 First catamaran trenching barge and Minimum Pipeline Risk Trenching System (MPRTS).
- 2004 First rock trencher machine to cut 35 mpa UCS rock.
- 2006 First high pressure system in Asia for hard clay.
- 2008 First trenching of live Gas pipelines.