Ecosse Subsea Systems complete Beatrice Wind Farm clearance

Ecosse Subsea Systems (ESS) has completed a 14-day seabed clearance project on the Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Ltd project, located approximately 13km off the Caithness coast.

ESS deployed its SCAR2 Seabed System from the Siem Ruby vessel on behalf of client Siem Offshore Contractors. Several hundred boulders were removed over a 15km route in water depths of between 38-60 metres, over terrain which was predominantly sand and gravel overlying stiff clay.

Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm will consist of 84 wind turbines and is expected to power approximately 450,000 homes on completion in 2019. It is being developed by Tier 1 contractors Subsea 7 (Seaway Heaving Lifting), Siemens Wind Power, Nexens and Siemens T&D.

ESS managing director Mark Gillespie said: “We are delighted to have safely completed another seabed clearance operation on a major windfarm construction project. Our SCAR2 system is now well established as a highly efficient and economic method of clearing and preparing the seabed as the first stage of major wind farm construction projects.

“The Beatrice workscope adds further to SCAR2’s credentials and puts ESS on a firm footing for winning similar clearance and trenching contracts on key renewables and infrastructure projects in Europe and other territories.”