Cathie specialises in providing comprehensive engineering support throughout the lifecycle of large offshore energy infrastructure developments.
With expert guidance through all design phases; conceptual, preliminary, front-end engineering design (FEED), and detailed design, Cathie delivers tailored, effective solutions to every challenge ranging from geophysical and geotechnical site investigations, ground modelling, subsea cables, foundation design and construction support for developers & installation contractors.
Our services ensure that projects such as offshore wind farms are built on solid geotechnical foundations and operate efficiently throughout their service life.
An integral part of our consultancy is the design and installation of offshore foundations, leveraging our wide experience of advanced techniques and drilling/driving equipment to address the unique challenges posed by marine environments.
We are particularly adept at managing complex soil conditions, including weak soils, risk of pile run or pile refusal, glauconite soils, boulder fields, to ensure the proper and timely installation of offshore structures, such as wind turbines, oil rigs, and other marine infrastructure. Our aim is to remove associated risks and minimise sources of delay during installation, supporting our clients in achieving successful, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible projects.
Key Capabilities
We bring 20+ years of experience in overcoming common or unique challenges faced during offshore foundation design and installation. These include (but are not limited to):
Weak soil conditions that can compromise the stability of the offshore foundations/structures
Glauconitic soils: Glauconite, a soft marine clay often found in offshore locations, presents challenges in foundation stability due to its low bearing capacity and high compressibility
Pile refusal occurs when the pile reaches a hard layer, such as rock, or when obstructions prevent further penetration
Boulders and other subsurface obstructions which can impede pile driving and installation activities
Pile run: uncontrolled penetration of a pile into the seabed during installation due to unexpected and reduced resistance from the sub-seabed soils during installation. Associated risks:
- Damage to equipment, i.e. sudden increase in hook load leading to damage to cranes, uncontrolled motions of the hammer
- Penetration beyond target depth
- Operational delay in the installation process and increased project costs
Our Approach
- Comprehensive site assessment: Our team conducts thorough assessment of the available geological, geotechnical, geophysical data to understand the specific challenges of each site.
- Custom engineering solutions: Based on our findings, we design and implement tailored foundation solutions, including monopiles, jackets, various anchor-types, or gravity-based structures, as well as recommended drilling/driving techniques, to ensure optimal performance under challenging conditions.
- Drivability Studies & comprehensive Risk Assessments to minimise risks associated with offshore installations, particularly in adverse conditions.
- Dynamic pile drive monitoring: Through our specialist service line, G-Octopus, we offer capabilities to ensure installations can be completed efficiently and safely, even in the harshest offshore environments.
- Provision of offshore geotechnical advisors to provide real-time geotechnical support during installation of foundations, to optimise pile sequence, driving techniques and subsequently benefit installation timings.
- Advanced installation techniques: We consider both standard and niche technologies in pile driving (impact driving, vibro-driving, tip jetting, vibro-jetting), including evaluating the performance of noise mitigation systems.
Our Track Record
With 20+ years of experience of overcoming common & unique challenges faced during offshore foundation design and installation, we are the trusted geotechnical advisor to many of the world’s leading offshore wind developers, foremost installation contractors & industry-leading design houses.
As part of this, Cathie has demonstrated experience of providing construction support on some of the largest and most challenging offshore wind projects across the globe in recent years. These include installation projects in the North Sea, Irish Sea, Bay of Biscay and APAC regions. Our support has ranged from ad-hoc 3rd party geotechnical reviews through to sustained geotechnical advisory services across the installation campaign including provision of offshore geotechnical advisors to support installation at each location.
For more information, please contact us today.