Fugro’s cable specialists conduct detailed desk studies for prospective route evaluation. Our Cable Data Base information system includes comprehensive data on the world’s oceans and extensive records gathered from numerous specialist and public domain sources. Desk studies include:

• Identifying and locating existing and proposed cables, pipelines and other seabed installations
• Ocean floor conditions and topographical assessments for cable laying and protection
• National and international boundaries, Law of the Seas
• Restricted zones and navigational fairways
• Identifying areas of marine resource exploitation and other activities
• Fishing zones and environmental impact areas
• Oceanographic data, meteorological information and seasonal impact factors
• Landfall site evaluations
• Permitting issues

Fugro’s cable specialists are available for consultation throughout the design phase to assist our customers in maximising efficiency and minimising costs.

Advanced ocean survey systems such as our EM122, EM300 and EM3002 hullmounted bathymetry systems and Reson 7101, 7125 and 8160 portable multibeam system cover a wide swathe of the seafloor in a single pass. Detailed surveys of corridors for telecommunication and power cables allow engineers to design cost-efficient, practical and safe installation routes. Fugro’s cable route survey services include:

• Hydrographic surveys using swath bathymetry systems such as combined side scan sonar and sub-bottom profiler towed sensors, State of the art multibeams for topographic charting, seafloor morphology, identification of wrecks and other obstructions
• High-resolution geophysical systems to define the character and structure of the seafloor for burial and trenching assessment
• Fugro GIS and data management services
• Burial assessment investigations

In critical continental shelf areas where cable burial is mandatory, Fugro has developed systems such as the GAMBAS seismic reflection and ROBAS resistivity systems to provide continuous detailed information on the depth and thickness of sediment layers and soil characteristics. Our SeaRobin Cone Penetrometer Test (CPT) system provides in-situ measurements of sediment types, stratification, density and soil shear strength in water depths to 2000m.

With our extensive experience in support of small diameter pipeline installation and trenching, Fugro is your perfect partner for cable installation and burial support. Utilising the company’s Starfix and SkyFix suite of DGPS positioning solutions and underwater acoustic positioning systems, interfaced with advanced software packages, our surveyors can position cable laying exactly to the design specification.

Our specialist Starfix software suites, including Starfix.Proc and Starfix.Multibeam onboard packages, lead the world in accurate and swift data processing, while more than half of the world’s cable installation fleets use Fugro’s WinFrog cable software for their lay, maintenance and repair applications. Fugro also provides comprehensive post-lay inspection and burial support (PLIB), exploiting many years of experience gained in lay operations around the world. The latest cable tracking, detection and data processing methods provide an accurate view of burial depth and cover achieved. Specialist Fugro vessels are equipped with advanced ROV systems and heavy lift capacity to assist with post-lay inspection and burial projects.

Detailed charts of the seabed and sub-sea geophysical information aid the evaluation of precious national assets and in the definition of international maritime boundaries. Fugro's fleets of survey vessels, autonomous underwater vehicles and SHOALS LIDAR aircraft are equipped with the latest technology to provide a comprehensive seabed charting service at scales suitable for all applications including Exclusive Economic Zone, UNCLOS Article 76 assessments and bathymetric charting surveys.

Centres of excellence such as our Data Solutions group, develop GIS based outcomes for a wide range of client types and marine applications. ESRI's ArcView and similar advanced GIS systems are populated with bespoke information with additional functionality to deliver a powerful cost-effective answer to marine asset management for:

• Port and harbour authorities
• Marine transport industry
• Offshore energy companies
• Renewable energy industry

Typical applications include:

• Marine asset management and tracking
• Vessel monitoring
• Electronic navigation chart enhancements and databases
• Real-time display and querying of Automatic Identification System (AIS)
• Digital atlases