Desk Studies
Route Surveys
Installation & Burial Support
Maintenance & Repair

Although only a small fraction of a telecommunication system’s installation costs, the investment in a comprehensive marine survey for a submarine cable project will leverage significant savings over the lifetime of the network. Fugro has the in-depth experience and capability to maximise this investment by providing complete survey solutions tailored to customers’ requirements.

Advanced ocean survey systems such as our SYS9, SYS100 towed bathymetry systems and hullmounted multibeam systems cover a wide swathe of the sea floor in a single pass. Fugro’s vessels regularly conduct surveys in the deep ocean, often in depths exceeding 6000m. State-of-the-art processing suites, both shipboard and land based, provide survey results in quality assured digital formats as well as traditional paper charts. From desk study through to post-lay burial, maintenance and repair, Fugro brings unrivalled knowledge and experience to your project.

Fugro’s cable specialists conduct detailed desk studies for prospective route evaluation. Our CableDB 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
• 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.

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 SYS9, SYS100 towed sensors, multibeams and sidescan systems 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

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.

Fugro caters for every facet of the submarine cable process. Our vessels, ROVs, survey teams and a worldwide positioning network supply the telecommunications industry with the critical rapid reaction support it demands. Whether it is regular maintenance or an urgent repair, Fugro meets the challenge.