Prysmian has placed a new heavy-duty subsea cable burial tool into operation, expanding its capabilities for installing and protecting submarine power cables used in offshore transmission and interconnection projects.

Developed in collaboration with North East England-based SMD, the latest-generation plough is the largest and most powerful burial tool in Prysmian's fleet. One of two tools procured from SMD, it is designed to bury submarine power cables to depths of up to five meters below the mean seabed level, depending on seabed conditions.

The new equipment is intended to improve the effectiveness of cable burial while providing greater protection for submarine power cables. These cables serve as critical infrastructure, transmitting electricity over long distances through interconnectors and connecting offshore renewable energy projects, including offshore wind farms, to the power grid.

The burial tool will be deployed aboard Prysmian's newest deep-sea cable installation vessels, Prysmian Monna Lisa and Prysmian Alessandro Volta.

Prysmian's Middlesbrough Marine base is responsible for planning, procuring, and deploying the company's cable burial operations. The company said its partnership with SMD supports the submarine cable supply chain in the United Kingdom while contributing technical expertise and employment in the region.

According to Peter Watson, who oversees the Middlesbrough Marine base and offshore subsea assets for Prysmian, the new tool improves the company's ability to install cables accurately and efficiently in increasingly challenging seabed conditions while achieving burial depths of up to five meters where seabed characteristics allow.

Watson also noted that the Middlesbrough facility plays a central role in Prysmian's global marine operations and supports submarine power projects in the United Kingdom and Europe through its long-term collaboration with SMD.