The deal included the delivery of two new cassettes for the upgraded BT2100 SeaRex tracked vehicle, that enables the trenching of power and telecommunication cables in-ground ranging from dense sand, stiff clay, and rock, in both shallow and deep water.
April 01, 2021
Soil Machine Dynamics (SMD) has delivered a multi-million-pound upgrade to the SeaRex trenching vehicle for the long-standing customer, Prysmian Group, a world leader in cable manufacture, energy solutions, and systems.
The project included the delivery of two new state-of-the-art cassettes for the upgraded BT2100 SeaRex tracked vehicle, including a wheel cutter and a chain cutter, enabling the trenching of power and telecommunication cables in-ground ranging from dense sand, stiff clay, and rock, in both shallow and deep water.
The new chain cutter cassette is capable of cutting a trench 700mm wide and 2.5m deep, was delivered in August 2020, and has already been commissioned on an interconnector power cable between the Greek island of Crete and mainland Greece. Further, the wheel cutter is capable of cutting a trench 450mm wide and 1.5m deep. Both cassettes will handle and trench power cables up to 350mm diameter with a unique loading mechanism that minimizes the lifting height and therefore, contacts stresses on the power cable.
This design has been developed in partnership with Prysmian to handle both light and heavyweight cables for high voltage power transmission. Both wheel and chain cassettes are interchangeable with existing pre-lay tools and these additions have re-launched SeaRex into the trenching market as a very capable and versatile multi-functional tool.
Commenting on the project, Robert Eddon, Key Account Manager from SMD, said; “The SeaRex was first commissioned by NSW in 2012 and the upgrade represents another milestone in our longstanding relationship. Over the years we have designed and manufactured ploughs, trenching ROVs, LARS and a range of multi-functional tools and attachments for Prysmian.”
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The upgrades to SeaRex are based on the UK-based SMD’s 50 years of experience in designing and manufacturing heavy-duty trenching vehicles to provide a reliable solution for protecting power cables in hard ground. Its cassette tooling and innovative design enable customers to invest in core vehicles in the knowledge that they can be repurposed in the future.
