Asset protection for offshore cables

Reduce the risk of damage to offshore transmission cable infrastructure efficiently and cost-effectively

Act proactively to reduce the risk of damage

Subsea telecommunication cables constitute a backbone of the global communications network, and subsea power transmission cables play a key role in current and planned transnational infrastructures which gradually will integrate EU power markets and supplies.

Despite regulation of activities in protection zones around cable infrastructures, damage caused by vessels occurs e.g. inflicted by bottom trawling or anchors. The economic and societal consequences can be significant.

The asset protection solution for offshore cables increases awareness in the offshore cable surveillance zones, and it provides the intelligence required to optimize preventive measures at sea level and focus inspection and maintenance efforts at the seabed.

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The solution for your challenges

Minimize the risk of damage to cables

Event detection algorithms enable zone-specific detection of sea level events with probability of interference on the structural integrity of the sub-sea power and telecommunication cable infrastructures. Vessels approaching and entering the protection zones can be automatically notified and warned.

Identify and document perpetrators

All activity in the defined surveillance zones is logged which provides the best possible evidence for correlating the occurrence of damages with identifiable vessels.

Preventive inspection, maintenance, and security

Advanced statistical analyses of traffic patterns around the cables enable risk assessment and better marking of the cables. Traffic pattern analyses, traffic density plots, event type frequencies and locations provide decision support for preventive measures at sea level, optimizing marking in areas where traffic is particularly dense.

Low operational costs

A high degree of system automation reduces the need for manual operator intervention to an absolute minimum, thereby ensuring low operational costs.

Placing liability for cable faults

Annually estimated 100–150 subsea cable faults occur world-wide with fishing accounting for nearly half of all reported faults, according to a report by UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre and the International Cable Protection Committee.

When a cable is faulted, the cable company commonly do not receive any notice from the mariners involved and it may be unclear whether those mariners was even aware of the incident.

The substantial effects of cable faults underpin the importance of identifying and documenting perpetrating vessels to provide evidence for correlating the occurrence of damages with the mariners involved.

“We can now identify and document perpetrators which is undeniable proof in insurance lawsuits. This has already resulted in compensations for millions.”

TELE Greenland

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GateHouse Maritime to monitor Gas Pipeline in the Baltic Sea

As part of the increasing demand for offshore surveillance, GateHouse Maritime, has won a contract issued by gas transmission system operator, GAZ-SYSTEM. With the 5-year contract, GateHouse Maritime will provide data analytics to automate monitoring of a new gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea which will deliver Norwegian gas to Danish and Polish households.

Read the press release

The blue lines signify the surveillance areas around each cable. Surveillance zones can be user defined, e.g. to trigger automatic alarms when a vessel shows abnormal behavior.

WatchDogs

The event detection algorithms enable zone-specific, rule-based detection of sea level events with probability of interference and effect on the structural integrity of sub-sea power and telecommunication cable infrastructures. Surveillance zones are defined using cable waypoints and width of the individual zone, each with event triggers.

The event triggers, also called WatchDogs, accurately detect abnormal events and derivatives in the configured surveillance zone. Obvious events are anchoring, fishing, drifting/ vessel in distress, and passage time. It is highly configurable and flexible and can be set up to fit the precise surveillance requirements in any section of the cable structure.

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Display of a subset of registered AIS messages: position, time stamp, speed over ground for a vessel operating in and around a surveillance zone.

Automated and real-time surveillance

If regulations are violated, operators and watch standing officers at the violating vessel are automatically notified in real-time. Intelligent filtering minimizes false positive alarms, e.g. alarms caused by vessels with legitimate presence in the surveillance zone. Manual operator intervention is only required if a vessel continues to show abnormal behavior or the probability of violation is high.

Statistics and reports

Based on logged tracks and events, the system automatically and on schedule, e.g. on a weekly or a monthly basis, generates advanced statistical reports. Changes in traffic patterns, traffic density plots, event type frequencies and locations in the surveillance zone(s) etc. are reported and visualized for optimal usability of the data.

Technical description

The asset protection solution for offshore cables is based on our widely used and field proven AIS software – implemented by coast guards and maritime administrations worldwide.

SaaS or DaaS solution

The solution can be provided as both SaaS (Software as a Service) or DaaS (Data as a Service). Our DaaS solution is perfect if your organization already has a solution in place but need to add more capabilities. Our SaaS solution includes a web-based display for operators and an event notification server hosted by GateHouse Maritime.

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