Van Oord’s flexible fallpipe vessel Stornes has set a new world record. The vessel carried out subsea rock installation works in a record water depth of 1364 metres. A distance comparable to almost five times the length of the Eiffel tower.
The subsea rock installation works were executed in relation to the development of the Sangomar field in Senegal.
Subsea7 contracted Van Oord to install 262,000 tonnes of rock in water depths ranging from 800 to the record depth of 1364 metres for the stabilisation and protection of subsea infrastructure. The Sangomar field is located approximately 100 kilometres south of Dakar. Due to the remote project location, the rock is supplied to the vessel by a ship-to-ship transfer method.
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Surgical precision at great water depths
Van Oord has been active in subsea rock installation for more than thirty-five years, servicing the offshore and offshore wind industry in pre- and post-lay rock installation on pipelines and cables, scour protection installation, seabed preparation and ballasting services for offshore structures.
The company’s dynamic positioning flexible fallpipe vessels are equipped with a unique flexible fall pipe system and Remote Operating Vehicles (ROVs). Van Oord has developed a system in-house to install rock precisely and efficiently at greater water depth. This system gives Van Oord the ability to reach this record breaking water depth. Van Oord is the only subsea rock installation contractor ever to reach this water depth.
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