Emergency Recovery of Cables from 300 meters deep in Norway:

Client: Statnett, Norway

April 2008.

Our cable barge C/B Henry P. Lading is normally involved in laying cables, though it is also capable of recovering cables as was displayed in Oslo Fjord in April 2008. Though it was a challenge and a small milestone to recover the two cables from a depth of 300 meters without damaging them.

The assignment came quite suddenly, as a result of a failure in the Cable field between Bastøy and Evje in Oslo Fiord.

The cable field is an important connection to the export of High Voltage electricity power to Sweden and therefore Statnett asked us to assign M/S Cable One and C/B Henry P. Lading to Oslo Fiord as soon as possible at the end of April.

The cable has a weight of 35 kilogram per running meter in water and in air the weight is almost 47 kilograms. It was the first time that JD-Contractor A/S has recovered cables from that depth. Nevertheless, it took only 4 days and nights to recover the 2 cables (2x8000 meters).
The first cable was reloaded directly from C/B Henry P. Lading to another cable vessel that wasn’t able to recover cables itself and relayed directly.

The second cable was taken to shore to be repaired, and in September C/B Henry P. Lading was ordered back to Oslo Fiord to finish the assignment and relay it.