Cable lay project in Wadden Sea tidelands, Germany
Starting end of May, our vessels Sara Maatje III, V, X , XIIb and Sara Maatje XVI are being employed on a project of laying two new power cables in the Wadden Sea tidelands in Germany. The cables are being installed between the oil production island Mittelplate and Friederichskoog, a distance of approximately 8 kilometres through very shallow waters.
The main activities of Acta Marine involve the positioning of the cable pontoons and the transport of personnel and supplies. The Sara Maatje X also accommodates the project management office.
The cables are to be laid within a tight timeframe by the end of June 2008 due to environmental protection considerations. Using special machinery the cables are laid into a narrow trench, at a maximum depth of ten metres, that is filled in immediately as work progresses. Using this method, no sustained impacts on the Wadden Sea tidal ecosystem are to be expected. The existing power cable is being replaced by the two new ones due to the increased energy requirements on the drilling and production island.
