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Fugro Seacore is building a pile top drill, the T120, for the offshore wind farm market to assist with monopole installations of up to eight meters diam-eter. The development represents a sig- niÞ cant step forward in capacity, as Its current big drill has 90 metric tons of rotational torque; the new one will have 120 metric tons. This new addition to the ß eet means they will have two drills capable of relief drilling piles of larger than six-meter diameter simultane-ously, for instances where larger mono- piles are the chosen foundation for the wind farm sites of round three in U.K. waters and elsewhere in the European market. ÒOur drilling rigs and associated equipment are custom built with spe- ciÞ c markets and projects in mind,Ó said Alun Jones of Fugro Seacore. ÒWe are constantly seeking to expand the parameters of drilling technology and enjoy rising to challenges, such as re- cently completing a 6.5-meter diameter by 63-m deep shaft Ð the largest drilled marine socket in the world.Ó The entire pile top drill set-up, weigh-ing approximately 350 metric tons, was scheduled to be completed this month and on site in early February 2014. www.fugroseacore.com News ACSM Add Cougar ROV The Cougar XT undergo-ing tests off the Port of Ferrol, Spain. Off the coast of Spain, subsea services company ACSM has com- pleted sea trials of a second Saab Seaeye Cougar XT ready to add to its ROV ß eet following successful trials offshore Norway and in the Baltic where ROV pilots and techni- cians reported minimal downtime and satisfaction with its perfor- mance. Operating near the Port of Ferrol, Spain, the 2,000m rated Cougar undertook a range of free- swimming tests including survey routes, manipulator intervention on structures and other wet tests. An additional test included a collabora- tive venture with Portugal-based Abyssal, trialing its 3D visualiza- tion system that uses Augmented Technology to provide the pilot with a heads-up display in 3D showing ß ight paths and checkpoints to guide the pilot to the exact target location.Fugros O shore Wind Farm Drill Ready The new T120 drill on top of the Conductor (framework that lifts it above the waves) all in yellow, and also showing the down hole equipment in blue. It will be conÞ gured as shown here and at- tached to the orange steel frame which is Þ xed to the deck of the transport installation vessel (TIV). (Photo: Saab Seaeye) November/December 201314 MTRMTR #9 (1-17).indd 14MTR #9 (1-17).indd 1412/13/2013 10:23:24 AM12/13/2013 10:23:24 AM
