A subsea engineering firm in Banchory is investing £3million to develop a faster seabed trenching tool.
Ecosse Subsea Systems (ESS) has teamed up with Northumberland-based Osbit, which specialises in bespoke engineering projects, to produce an enhanced subsea trenching vehicle with water jetting technology.
ESS said the new design will give it capability to execute larger scopes of work – and will differentiate them from existing suppliers.
ESS technical director Michael Cowie said: “This is a major investment which will strengthen our suite of SCAR seabed tools and offer real benefits to clients operating in the renewables and oil and gas sectors. It is anticipated the SCARJet could double trench production rates compared to existing trenchers in the same class, with significant time and cost savings for the end-client.”
The R&D for the SCARJet has been supported by Scottish Enterprise and part funded by the European Structural and Investment Funds Programme.