Fugro has been awarded a contract to undertake cable route surveys for the North Sea Energy Island project.

Under the agreement with Energinet, Fugro’s dedicated survey vessels will mobilise to site in March 2022 to begin the geophysical and geotechnical surveys.

This will include remotely operated vehicle (ROV) inspections and shallow geotechnical investigations using Fugro’s innovative Blue Snake geotechnical system.

The Blue Snake integrates cone penetration testing (CPT) and sampling technology to enable data to be captured in a single pass with testing completed consecutively at fixed distances along the cable route.

The system integrates a high performance vibrocorer and 10 tonne CPT into a single frame with a customised launch and recovery system – minimising manual handling and improving workability in difficult weather conditions. This innovative technology optimises data correlation, improving design and engineering for future cable installation works.

The Energy Island will serve as an offshore power plant distributing up to 10GW of offshore wind to Denmark and other neighbouring markets.

“Energinet is looking forward to take another important step with the Cable Route Survey to the North Sea Energy Island together with the experienced team from Fugro,” said Søren Stricker Mathiasen, contract manager for Energinet’s work on the future energy islands in Danish waters.

The Energy Island contract follows on from two geotechnical site investigation contracts as well as a marine site characterisation contract awarded to Fugro earlier this year.

Fugro is also supporting Energinet with wind-resource mapping after installing and operating wind lidar buoys in both the Baltic Sea and North Sea.