A joint venture has been set up to develop technology to make installing marine renewables devices on the seabed easier.
Remote intervention equipment manufacturer Soil Machine Dynamics will work with Blade Offshore Services in the joint venture, SMD-BORD, which will be based out of SMD’s head offices in Wallsend, Newcastle.
SMD said the new technology would make use of a sacrificial double-skinned annular drill, which cuts more quickly than traditional full-bore cutting methods.
This will allow piles and anchors used in the growing marine renewables industry to be installed more efficiently and within tidal windows.
The technology also offers an alternative to expensive gravity foundations, said SMD.
A series of dry trials has already been carried out, said SMD, which works in subsea engineering, remotely operated systems and seafloor tractors.
BOS specialises in drilling technology.
Clive Adshead, renewables business stream manager at SMD said: “I have been involved with the marine renewables industry for a number of years, and I believe that this technology is game-changing in terms of the installation solutions that the industry needs.”
John Swingler, director of drilling operations at BOS, said: “We are at the birth of the subsea turbine industry and our innovative pile technology together with SMD’s proven subsea vehicle engineering will be seen as a step change in underwater device installation both domestically and globally.”