Subsea construction company Subocean Group has invested almost £16 million in cable laying equipment and the refit and mobilisation of a cable-laying barge which is on long term charter to meet demand for their services in the offshore wind sector.

As per the information available, £5 million has been ploughed into a long-term charter and the refit and mobilisation of the cable-laying barge, ATM Discoverer.

The firm has invested a further £5 million in a 5,500-tonne capacity cable storage carousel, which has been installed on the barge, plus £2million has also been spent on two new purpose-designed cable ploughs acquired from IHC Engineering Business. These will be used to bury windfarm power cables up to three metres below the seabed.

Subocean has also invested £4 million in upgrading its existing UR101 barge with a 1,000-tonne cable-carrying carousel and upgrading an existing cable plough.

The company says its equipment was the first to bury power cables to three metres below the seabed in the offshore wind renewable energy sector. Now it possesses a range of equipment - including a shallow water plough, water-jetting sledge and a tracked ROV trenching vehicle - all designed to achieve three-metre burial depth.