Subsea cable damage is a challenging problem for the wind energy industry. Cables are frequently damaged during the installation process, where they can be over-bent as they leave the laying vessel, harmed by anchor drag, subject to collisions and entangled with fishing gear. Damaged cable is assumed to fail within five years. Monitoring cable via SONAR and/or ROV is expensive and quite often unusable because conditions affect visibility. 70-80% of wind farm insurance claims involve cable damage - 90% of those concern damage during installation. Wind power clients are now seeking lengthy warranties from installation contractors.

OMS SmartCable™ monitoring

OMS offers patented technology to monitor cables using sensors which assess bend radius, dynamic events such as collisions, and temperature. Data captured is analysed by a software system that can alert operators to any potential damage.

Benefits include:

Reduced risk of cable damage

Decreased project costs (reduced need for ROV, reduced cost of insurance)

Extend asset lifetime

Lower weather downtime