Ocean-Tec Systems will be attending Ocean Business 2017 in Southampton on 5th April.  Should anyone wish to have any meetings during the day, please contact us on info@ocean-tec.co.uk to arrange.

We look forward to catching up with all our customers and former colleagues alike during the show.

The VOE VANGUARD, a new design of renewables vessel, is currently undergoing DP trials in Holland.  The vessel, which features a unique design, includes various features specific to performing renewables support activities.

The vessel is the first vessel of its size to feature a DPII dynamic positioning system from Kongsberg, and recent trials are showing the vessel to be very capable indeed.

The vessel boasts a clear back deck, and the ability to 'self-mobilise' for various activities, requiring only a quayside able to allow a large lorry to deliver the component parts.

The vessel can perform various 'standard' tasks expected of Multicat style vessels, such as PLGR and anchor handling, but has the additional ability to perform tasks such as Trenching, ROV Inspections, Diving works and survey operations.  These additional tasks have been considered carefully within the design of the vessel, resulting in features within the DP such as follow sub being installed as standard.

Ocean-Tec are proud to have assisted the vessel owners with aspects of the design, and continue to offer assistance with the vessel in a support role.

The vessel is available for charter later this year.  For further details please contact chartering@ocean-tec.co.uk.

A New class of support vessel, specifically designed for the challenges of the renewables market, is taking shape in Holland.  Ocean-Tec are proud to have assisted the vessel owners with aspects of the design, and continue to offer assistance with the vessel in a support role.

The vessel is a DPII multipurpose support vessel built by Damen shipyards, featuring a Kongsberg DP system. The vessel has been designed from the ground up for rapid mobilisation/demobilisation of equipment including, power cable lay, ROV inspection, mattressing, turbine maintenance support and cable pull-in support. This approach resulted in maximising the clear deck area of the vessel.

Measuring 33m x 14.5m, with a draft of 4.95m (in DPII mode) the vessel features  accommodation for 14 people, with options for additional upgrades if required.
The vessel has a fwd crane capable of 9.1t@21m, and an aft crane capable of 14.95t@20m in addition to anchor handling winches and a 4 point mooring.  The vessel is also supplied with 450kVA of deck power for equipment such as ROVs.

The vessel is due in service Q1 2017, please feel free to contact Ocean-Tec regarding any potential work you may have for the vessel on chartering@ocean-tec.co.uk.

MakaiLay Suite Adds Features for Power Cable Installers

The new Heave Analysis tool for shallow water power cable lays accounts for vessel heave and ocean conditions (currents, water depth, seabed slope) to help installers understand impacts on the safety of the cable (bend radius and bottom tension). The tool is now available with MakaiLay Power (at-sea installation), and MakaiPlan Pro Power (in-office simulation/training).

Makai Ocean Engineering, Inc. said it continues to address issues experienced by the subsea power cable industry by enhancing submarine cable lay software, MakaiLay, and its desktop simulation sister product, MakaiPlan Pro.

Specifically, three key features are being integrated into the Power Cable modules for each of these products that are built specifically for power cable installers:

1.  Cable Top Angle. MakaiLay now has the option to use the cable departure angle, or “Top Angle”, which can be measured at the over-boarding point. When high quality measurements of top tension are not available, using the Top Angle enables Makai’s real-time cable model to calculate cable shape, touchdown and tension more accurately during shallow water power cable installations.  Makai has developed a new cable model that includes cable bending stiffness, which is now being used in two new tools: the Shape Calculator and the Heave Analysis tool.
2. Shape Calculator Tool. Allows the users to perform rapid static analyses of the cable shape under different lay conditions (currents, slopes, depths) to ensure bend radii and tensions are acceptable.
3. Heave Analysis Tool. Because power cables are laid with residual seabed tension, the cables’ bend radii and tension are sensitive to heave of the ship. The Heave Analysis tool allows users to perform analyses for different sea states and lay conditions (see Figure 1) to ensure that tensions and bend radii are within allowable limits. The tool can be used in office to design a safe lay, or at-sea to make fast decisions about the lay as conditions change and contingencies arise.

The core product, MakaiLay, models the cable shape, bottom tension and touchdown location as it is installed on the seafloor. With a complete picture of cable conditions, operators can accurately control bottom tension and touchdown location, significantly reducing the time, cost and risk of a lay. For power cable jobs in areas of transition from shallow to mid and deep-water, steep seabed slopes and strong currents, it can become especially difficult to control the cable’s tension and bend radius at the seafloor, risking the safety of the cable. In these situations, MakaiLay’s cable control and navigation instructions become critical. The MakaiLay suite includes a route planning tool (MakaiPlan) and a simulating/training tool (MakaiPlan Pro), in addition to the real-time, at-sea tool for controlling cable deployment (MakaiLay). Power cable modules with a growing number of power-cable-specific features are available with each product.

 “These new power cable features reflect Makai’s commitment to making the MakaiLay suite the most comprehensive tool for power cable installations” said Dr. Venkata Jasti, Makai’s engineer leading this development. “We are excited to see power cable installers adopting this tool. MakaiLay has been the industry standard for telecom lays for over 15 years, being used to successfully install well over 400,000 kilometers of cable – when it comes to proven subsea cable laying tools, why reinvent the wheel?”

Makai Ocean Engineering, together with Ocean-Tec Systems will be running a MakaiLay training course in the UK in June 2015.

Ocean-Tec Systems has achieved its goal of implementing an ISO9001 certified Quality Management System.

Mr McLeod, Ocean-Tec's Managing Director said "We have put a great deal of effort into the implementation of our QMS system and are pleased to see all the hard work has paid off.  We found that we already utilised various previously undocumented systems, and the standardisation/documentation of these can only be a good thing going forwards."

Makai Ocean Engineering, together with Ocean-Tec Systems will be running a MakaiLay training course in the UK in May 2015.

MakaiLay Power used by OUOCI Consortium to Install Power Cable in Venezuela

Makai Ocean Engineering, Inc. recently modified the popular telecom cable lay software, MakaiLay, to address specific issues experienced by the subsea power cable industry. The result of this effort was MakaiLay Power, a real-time software tool for controlling power cable deployment at-sea. 

This software was recently purchased and used by the OUOCI Consortium to install a subsea power cable in Venezuela for the Chacopata-Margarita Submarine Cable Interconnection Project. The OUOCI Consortium, which stands for Oceanus Co., Ltd. (OU) and Ocean C&I (OCI), used the cable ship CS Creator for the lay.

The cable installation, in water depths of approx 30m, involved two separate 230kV XLPE power cables and was successfully completed by OUOCI Consortium in November, 2014, with the following highlights:

Length: ~31km x 2 lines
Placement accuracy : > 1m from the planned RPL
Zero cable suspensions
On time: Installation completed 3 days earlier than planned
Bottom tension maintained: below 0.2 ton

Watch a brief video showing the successful project completion here (in Spanish)

Ocean-Tec Systems would like to thanks its various Clients, Contractors and Staff for all their work this year.
We hope everyone has a well deserved rest over the festive period and return fully refreshed in the new year.

 

Ocean-Tec Systems today took 100% ownership of its Joint Venture company, Subsea Renewables, established in 2009.

Subsea Renewables has been highly active in the renewables sector, offering various services including;

• Client Representation
• Installation Consultancy
  
• Project Management
• Equipment Sourcing
• Personnel Provision
  
• Training

Ocean-Tec Managing Director, Bob McLeod, said 

"As part of our planned expansion we have now taken 100% ownership of the company. Subsea Renewables has always been an important part of OTS, and will continue to be.  Moving forwards we will move the training arm over to the OTS brand, and merge the remaining services of the two companies over the coming months."

Subsea Renewables will continue to serve its existing customers, and all existing contracts will be novated to Ocean-Tec systems over the coming months.

Ocean-Tec have completed their most recent contract to design a suitable platform for use with an Ampelmann system for use onboard the Siem Daya 1. 

The scope included concept design, installation drawings, supporting calulations and managing the associated DNV / Lloyds Register class approvals for the vessel modifications and supporting equipment. 

Ocean-Tec further assisted with selection of the fabricator, including site visits to assess fabrication progress. Ocean-Tec's Bob McLeod said 

"This was a tight timeline project, with many aspects being performed in parallel. The hard work of our engineers has paid off and we're glad to announce all involved are happy with the results."

Makai Ocean Engineering has secured several major pieces of equipment for its ocean thermal energy conversion, or OTEC, demonstration plant, which aims to show the commercial viability of this key renewable energy resource that's a constant power source. 

OTEC produces electricity from the ocean using the temperature difference between deep, cold and warm water surface seawater.

Its plants pump large quantities of deep, cold seawater and surface seawater to run a power cycle and produce electricity.

Makai's Ocean Energy Research Center in Kona on the Big Island, the largest OTEC research facility in the world, has received two new heat exchangers and a 100-kilowatt ammonia turbine generator that are in various stages of installation and testing. 

Makai are installing two 2MW heat exchangers and a 100kW turbine generator at its Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion demo in Hawaii.

The components are in various stages of assembly and testing at the Ocean Energy Research Centre, which to date has has put four condensers and three evaporators through their paces.

The trials are aimed at producing a low-cost, corrosion-resistant design that could help drive commercialisation of OTEC technology by cutting the price of heat exchangers, which are the most expensive element of the system.

The facility is designed to easily swap out OTEC heat exchangers and test as many as six simultaneousl.

The company plans to link its 100kW turbine to the OTEC system and connect power to the local grid in early-2015. The move will mark the first time closed-cycle OTEC power has been connected to a US network.

Ocean-Tec Systems have today commenced the process of ISO certification.  The company will roll out their revised IMS system over the coming weeks before commencing internal audits of its application.
OTS Managing Director, Bob McLeod, said

"Its something we've been working towards for some time, and once implemented should provide us with yet another tool to assist in providing our Clients with the best customer satisfaction we can offer.  

Once certification is closed out we will also have the added benefit of being able to support more Clients in a wider range of services and markets, whilst offering new Clients a high degree of confidence in our capabilities."

OTS are targeting receipt of certification to ISO9001:2008 by the end of Q4 2014.

Makai Ocean Engineering release their New Makai Repair software.

MakaiRepair extends the capability of Makai’s industry-standard submarine cable planning and installation software suite to include at-sea cable repair and recovery operations. 

It is a standalone product which runs on a standard PC operating with Microsoft Windows 7, 8 or XP which is installed on a repair vessel. 

The software is available in two versions, depending upon Client needs; 

• Standard 
• Professional (Pro)
  

MakaiRepair includes new grapnel/assembly tools and modifications to the advanced 3D finite element model that takes into consideration multiple cables in the water column and lateral movement of the cable along the seafloor. 

These new features to the cable model allow for the precise control of bottom tension, so that the recovery of the cable can be done at faster rates, within safe parameters, thereby speeding up operations and minimizing repair operational costs.

Further details on MakaiRepair can be found within the MakaiRepair Brochure available in our Media Centre for download.

Ocean-Tec Systems are now a member of the North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC).

"We are happy to become part of such a wide ranging commercial group." said Ocean-Tec Systems Managing Director, Bob McLeod, "We look forward to taking part in some of the business events in the coming months."

The NECC was officially formed in 1995, but its roots go back as far as 1815 when the Newcastle Chamber of Commerce was formed shortly after the Battle of Waterloo.

Prominent industrialists, entrepreneurs and business people have presided over the smooth running of what was later to expand into the Tyne and Wear Chamber and the Teesside Chamber. These have included the various industrialists and Members of Parliament.

In 1995 these Chambers along with the Tynedale Chamber decided that a strong united regional voice was the way forward for regional businesses and formed the North East Chamber of Commerce.

In 2004 NECC won Chamber of the Year at the British Chamber of Commerce national awards. The following year, NECC celebrated another significant milestone when it landed its 10,000th learner into full-time employment.

In 2012 NECC was recognised at the Chamber Awards, picking up the Award for Excellence in Membership Services.

MakaiPlan v6.0 for Power/Telecom cable route engineering software released

Makai has released version 6.0 of MakaiPlan, Makai's industry standard GIS cable route engineering software.

MakaiPlan is a tool to create and edit submarine cable routes, define cables and in-line bodies, define and adjust slack, instantly create Route Positioning Lists (RPLs) and Straight Line Diagrams (SLDs), and estimate system costs. Multiple planners and designers work interactively on cable installations with easy access to and exchange of project data.

“This MakaiPlan release represents a big leap forward in the modernization of performance and features, especially for power cables,” said Duke Hartman, VP of Business Development at Makai. “Our users tell us that the main advantages of MakaiPlan are the automation and streamlined workflow that save time and effort when planning a route. The tool is used by cable engineers, owners, and surveyors, and has a sophisticated feature set that has the benefit of continuous user feedback over the last 15 years.”

Some features in the new v6.0 release include:

• New .NET version means faster speeds and full compatibility with Windows 7 & 8.
• Web Map Services (WMS) feature allows users to access GIS map layers from global databases for cable route planning.
• Arc-circles in the RPL for power cables. Unlike telecom cables, power cables have high bending stiffness and turns on the seabed follow arc-circles instead of sharp turns. MakaiPlan automatically rounds the turns and properly accounts for the cable distance.
• Automation of cable crossings and buffer zones. Buffer zones are the corridors within which the cable must be installed. MakaiPlan generates buffer zones around cables and bodies, and clearly identifies any crossings or obstructions within this zone.
• User-defined fields in the RPL. In addition to the fields in a standard RPL, the user can easily incorporate additional properties of interest along the route (e.g., burial depth, cable properties, geotechnical data such as soil type, etc.).
• Save geo-referenced notes to explain planning decisions for engineers in later phases of the project (i.e., simulation or execution of the cable lay).

Makai provides a tool for each of the three primary phases of a cable project: Route Planning and Engineering (MakaiPlan), Installation Planning and Simulation (MakaiPlan Pro) and Real-time At-sea Cable Installation Control (MakaiLay). Information flows seamlessly from one product to the next, and cable projects that were planned using MakaiPlan can be directly opened with Makai’s other products, preserving the information richness of the plan (GIS layers, geo-referenced notes, etc.). Compared with having to import excel files of RPLs and SLDs from a third party planning tool, MakaiPlan provides a smooth and hassle-free transition into the simulation or installation phases of development.

MakaiPlan is the number one cable route planning and engineering software, with over 300 licenses sold and has been used for route planning of over 400,000 kilometers of successfully installed cable worldwide.

Makai Ocean Engineering Inc. is the world’s leading provider of submarine cable planning and installation software. Established in 1973, Makai is a diversified engineering company providing naval architecture, mechanical, ocean, and software engineering products and services. Areas of expertise include ocean-based renewable energy, heat exchangers, large pipelines, underwater vehicles, submarine cable software and engineering, and general marine engineering, research and development.

Download the full press release PDF by clicking this link.

Managing Director presents in China

As part of the Offshore Wind China conference in Shanghai, China, Ocean-Tec Systems Managing Director, Bob McLeod, presented, at short notice, a keynote speech on behalf of our Client MOVE Renewable Consultants on the fundamental areas of power cable installation, emphasizing the easily missed risks which are often ignored. 

The presentation also touched on potential solutions to some of these issues, such as Makai's Lay software, careful planning and selecting the correct tools for installation on a technical basis.

The presentation was well received, with real time translation into local languages.

A short quickfire Q&A session was also addressed by Mr McLeod covering queries such as CPS issues, vessel selection and burial techniques.

Mr McLeod was in China with MOVE Renewable Consultants as part of a Dutch delegation for a Holland Home of Wind Energy (HHWE) organised trade mission to Taiwan, Hong Kong and China.

Makai welcomes new users of MakaiPlan and MakaiPlan Pro.

Makai have recently increased their customer base of MakaiPlan, GIS cable route-planning software, and MakaiPlan Pro, cable lay simulation software. Makai’s software continues to serve as the industry standard for cable planners and installers who serve the subsea telecom cable, power cable, and military markets.

“We are excited to welcome several new clients to the large and growing club of MakaiPlan and MakaiPlan Pro users.” said Dr. Jose Andres, CEO of Makai. “Selecting the best cable route and creating a Ship Installation Plan for the cable lay are two critical steps in the development cycle for subsea cable projects. Makai is proud to provide tools that streamline these steps for our clients.”

Recent sales include:

• Fugro-Pelagos (USA) has purchased MakaiPlan with the MakaiDTM and MakaiFME modules. This system is being delivered to E-Marine, the principal provider of submarine cable solutions in the Middle East, at their UAE offices.
• LSCable (Korea) has purchased a second license of MakaiPlan with all the additional modules. (useful for pipelines and power cables)
• AssoDivers (Greece) has purchased MakaiPlan with the MakaiDTM and MakaiFME modules. Makai is providing software training at their headquarters in Athens in March 2014.
• Oceaneering (USA) has purchased a second license of MakaiPlan to enhance its submarine cable planning capabilities for US military applications.
• KT Submarine (Korea) already owns and uses MakaiPlan, but has recently added MakaiPlan Pro as well. Makai will provide software training in April, 2014 at KTS offices in Korea.
• NTT (Japan) already owns three licenses of MakaiPlan, but has recently added MakaiPlan Pro.

MakaiPlan is a tool to create and edit submarine cable routes, define cables and in-line bodies, define and adjust slack, instantly create RPLs and SLDs, estimate system costs, and generate a preliminary cable installation plan. Multiple planners and designers work interactively on cable installations with easy access to and exchange of project data. MakaiPlan is the world’s #1 cable route planning and engineering software, with over 300 licenses sold over the last 14 years.

MakaiPlan Pro is powerful and precise 3D, dynamic simulation software for submarine cable lays. Quickly simulating an entire cable lay in the office at 40 to 50 times faster than real-time enables engineers to identify installation risks and estimate costs; before ever going to sea. The simulations are used to train cable engineers, for pre-lay and post-lay analysis, and to create a detailed Ship Plan to guide the installation. A simulation is a valuable tool for understanding and planning dynamic at-sea situations, such as starts and stops, repeater deployments, and sharp altercourses.

MakaiPlan Pro includes the GIS planning tools of MakaiPlan, and integrates seamlessly with MakaiLay, the world’s #1 at-sea cable installation software. Unlike other GIS software, Makai provides installers with a comprehensive set of software tools and training that span the entire cable project, from inception to installation.

Makai Ocean Engineering Inc., is the world’s leading provider of submarine cable planning and installation software. Established in 1973, Makai is a diversified engineering company providing naval architecture, mechanical, and software engineering products and services. Areas of expertise include ocean-based renewable energy, heat exchangers, large pipelines, underwater vehicles, submarine cable software and engineering, and general marine engineering and R&D.

Download the full press release PDF by clicking this link.

Makai Achieves ISO9001:2008 Certification

Makai Ocean Engineering, Inc. has achieved ISO 9001:2008 certification, an internationally recognized standard for quality management systems.

The Certificate is awarded to companies that can demonstrate their ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer requirements, placing customer satisfaction as a key component of those requirements.

The ISO 9001:2008 certification for engineering, design services and software development for commercial and government applications ensures that Makai adheres to documented processes and procedures and continues to improve the efficiency and quality of products and services worldwide. 

Compliance helps to ensure that customers receive consistent, quality products and services, which in turn bring many benefits to both the business and the client such as improved customer satisfaction, reduced waste and streamlined costs, sustainable improvements to processes and procedures, and improved employee motivation, engagement, and morale.

View Makai’s certificate by clicking this link.

Due to continued growth Ocean-Tec Systems have relocated to larger premesis on the outskirts of Darlington.  The move was performed during the Christmas Holiday period with the new offices up and running by 6th January 2014.

Ocean-Tec's Managing director, Bob McLeod, said
"With the move to these larger premises out of town we are now ideally positioned to continue the companies growth within the energy markets.  We now have the space to expand and contract the workforce as required by our project workload.

Our close proximity to the A1 reduces time wasted by visitors travelling into town and back, which has already been commented on by our Clients during meetings."

Makai Continues Growth in Offshore Renewables

Makai Ocean Engineering has recently made multiple sales of their full-featured GIS route engineering software, MakaiPlan, to power cable installers who serve the offshore renewable energy market.

“We have been monitoring the offshore renewables market closely,” said Dr. Jose Andres, CEO of Makai, “and we are excited that our planning and installation tools are being adopted so rapidly. The offshore wind and tidal markets present an attractive opportunity for us to offer proven cable software tools and training that we have developed for the telecom cable market. Makai will continue to work closely with our clients to develop new features that address the unique challenges of subsea power cables.”

MakaiPlan allows users to create and edit submarine cable routes, define cables and in-line bodies, define and adjust slack, instantly create RPLs and SLDs, estimate system costs and generate a preliminary cable installation plan. Multiple planners and designers work interactively on cable installations with easy access to and exchange of project data. The tool is the industry standard in cable route planning and engineering software, with over 300 licenses sold over the last 14 years.

Many of the largest subsea power cable installers and consultants are using MakaiPlan for the route engineering for subsea power cable projects, which already includes over 15 of the offshore wind farms in the UK and Europe. Current MakaiPlan users in the renewable industry include Pelagian International, Global Marine Systems, RES-Offshore, TetraTech, and Mojo Marine among others.

For further information download the full press release PDF by clicking this link.

Global Marine Systems cable vessel fleet chooses MakaiLay to control cable installation and repair operations

Global Marine Systems Ltd is in the process of converting six of its cable installation and repair vessels to begin using the latest Makai software technology. With the addition of GMSL to the list of customers, Makai software products are now used by every single large installer and most of the smaller telecom cable installers in the world, accounting for more than 80% of the world’s cable installation fleet.

GMSL vessels will now use the latest versions of three different Makai cable software products:

• The MakaiLay cable installation software.
• The new MakaiRepair cable retrieval and repair software (unveiled at the March, 2013 SubOptics conference in Paris).
• The Makailay Seismic module which will enhance the capabilities of GMSL in accurately installing and retrieving seismic arrays for the oil and gas industry.

Two of the new systems have been already delivered and the rest will be delivered and commissioned before the end of the year. A training program will be conducted in August 2013 at GMSL headquarters in the UK. 

In addition, GMSL has also embraced MakaiPlan as the preferred submarine route cable planning tool for their survey department. 

MakaiLay is an advanced finite-segment 3D cable installation software package that enables cable installers to lay submarine cables with high placement accuracy and reliability. 

The software calculates and displays the surface and seafloor tension of the cable in near real-time, the layback distance of the cable, the cable slack and touchdown locations on the seafloor, to enable complete control of a cable installation process. 

MakaiLay fully integrates the cable laying operations with the cable control room to adjust the cable payout speed for optimum slack/tension, the plough control room, and the helmsman DP system to modify the vessel track and speed as needed. 

The software can receive real-time ocean current data from Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) instruments to model the effect of ocean currents on the suspended cable and touchdown position. Using MakaiLay, engineers can then create a new ship plan on-the-fly to compensate for the effect of ocean currents in order to maintain a high placement accuracy of the cable on the seafloor. 

The new MakaiRepair software extends the capability of Makai’s submarine cable planning and installation software suite to include at-sea cable repair and recovery operations. 

MakaiLay Seismic has been specifically designed to address the new challenge faced by the seismic industry to accurately install and retrieve Ocean Bottom Cables (OBC) with many in-line sensors in mid- and deep waters.

Download the full press release PDF by clicking this link.

SAIC chooses MakaiLay Seismic and MakaiPlan Pro Seismic to simulate and control Ocean Bottom Cable (OBC) installation and retrieval operations

SAIC, USA, has purchased two MakaiLay Seismic licenses and one MakaiPlan Pro Seismic license for use in their seismic oil and gas exploration projects. SAIC owns and operates modularized cable engines and cable installation equipment together with well trained and certified MakaiLay operators to install submarine cables worldwide. SAIC leases vessels of opportunity in the project region with which they deploy the Ocean Bottom Cables (OBCs) or node arrays.

The growing interest in Makai’s cable installation tools by the seismic exploration community has begun to translate into software sales. SAIC’s purchase marks the third recent MakaiLay seismic customer. Makai has seen an increasing number of telecom cable installers “hopping the fence” to do seismic and power cable jobs, blurring the lines between the telecom, seismic, and submarine power cable installers. Since more than 75% of the world’s telecom cable installation fleet already uses Makai software products, some of these companies are upgrading to the seismic-specific cable installation and planning modules in order to increase their competitiveness in this growing field.

SAIC submarine cable projects will now use the latest versions of two different Makai cable software products:

• MakaiPlan Pro Seismic: is a simulation tool to accurately plan the installation and retrieval of Ocean Bottom Cables (OBC) in mid- and deep waters. It enables powerful and precise 3D, dynamic simulations of the cable installation and retrieval. The operator can quickly simulate an entire cable lay in advance and in his office at 25 to 50 times faster than real-time. The simulations can be used to test the feasibility of the planned lays, make equipment selection, train cable engineers, pre-lay and post-lay analysis, and create a Ship Plan for installation. A detailed analysis and simulation is valuable to best understand and plan for dynamic cable situations that occur during speed changes, starts and stops, and hydrophone body deployments.
• MakaiLay Seismic: will enhance the capabilities of SAIC in accurately installing and retrieving seismic arrays for the oil and gas industry. MakaiLay Seismic builds on the MakaiLay engine, but it includes additional tools specifically designed for the seismic industry to accurately install and retrieve Ocean Bottom Cables (OBC) with many in-line sensors, or node arrays in mid- and deep waters. MakaiLay Seismic is flexible enough to run on laptops and assimilate information from SAIC’s collection of cable installation equipment, including Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) and transponders attached to the cable, and then output vessel navigation and cable payout instructions for the operators.

Download the full press release PDF by clicking this link.

SBSS purchases MakaiLay and MakaiPlan Pro for the CS Fu Hai

S.B.Submarine Systems Co., Ltd. (SBSS) has installed Makai’s cable installation software, MakaiLay, on the CS Fu Hai, a submarine cable ship. SBSS installed the latest MakaiLay software with full control capabilities this summer while the CS Fu Hai was dry-docked in Hong Kong. 

Makai engineers trained CS Fu Hai crewmembers to operate the software during this time. 

With this purchase, SBSS displays confidence in MakaiLay to reduce the cost and risk of operations for submarine cable jobs in the telecom, power cable, and offshore oil & gas exploration markets.

In the interest of reducing at-sea time and cost for cable lays, SBSS also purchased a license of MakaiPlan Pro, Makai’s software for planning and simulation of cable lays. This software enables SBSS to plan cable routes and simulate cable lays in detail (even including realistic currents) in 3D before going out to sea for an installation. SBSS joins the more than 80% of the world’s telecom cable fleet that owns and uses used Makai software products for swift, accurate, and safe installation of more than 400,000 kilometers of submarine cable.

Download the full press release PDF by clicking this link.

Makai Ocean Engineering have released an add-on module for thier Makai Lay package specifically hones to the needs of 4D seismic cable installation contractors. 

MakaiLay Seismic is an extension of the successful cable installation software, MakaiLay, developed by Makai Ocean Engineering and currently used by over 80% of the deep water cable installers in the world to accurately lay military arrays, telecommunication and power cables with a high degree of placement and slack/tension accuracy. MakaiLay Seismic runs on a PC under Windows 7 or XP operating system. MakaiLay Seismic has been specifically designed to address the new challenge faced by the seismic industry to accurately install and retrieve Ocean Bottom Cables (OBC) in mid- and deep waters.

Further details on the new MakaiLay Seismic software can be found within the MakaiLay Seismic Brochure available in our Media Centre for download.

New Submarine Power Cable Installation Software

MakaiLay PowerMakai Ocean Engineering releases cable control software specifically designed for the subsea power cable industry.

MakaiLay Power allows operators to accurately model the cable shape and bottom tension and touchdown location as it is installed on the seafloor, reducing the risk of damage. 

This software is particularly useful in mid- and deep waters and for bathymetry with steep slopes where it is impossible to accurately control bottom tension using measured top conditions like top tension and top cable angle. 

With an accurate picture of the cable conditions below the sea surface, operators can significantly reduce the time, labor & cable material cost, and risk involved in subsea power cable installation, while extending the life of the cable asset.

A brief YouTube video demonstrating the software in action can be viewed here: http://youtu.be/chY2_L9dTJk