AAG S2&3 Contract Completed Successfully

Date: 20 May 2009

Insight Marine have recently completed a contract in La Union, Philippines, to supply surface positioning support to cable burial operations on the AAG SEG2/3 cable shore landings.

Hemisphere VS110 DGPS units were used onboard the barge 'MCRP-02' and telemetry linked anchor tugs to provide accurate positioning information to aid the 4 point mooring process. The equipment was also used to position the 'Stingray' jetting tool with the QINSy navigation software suite logging positions and depth of burial data.

The project presented challenges due to the remote nature of the work site. Positioning accuracy was maintained using SBAS signals from the MSAS system due to the lack of coastal radio beacons in the locality. A rolling four point anchor spread was established with the 'Stingray' towed jetting tool deployed to conduct burial operations on a total of 6kms of cable and articulated pipe running into the beach at La Union.

The project also had to contend with unseasonal weather conditions in the form of typhoon Chan-Hom with winds gusting over 100MPH. The lack of any nearby shelter meant increased reliance on daily weather updates and timely decision making to ensure the safety of the barge and crew.  

The Asia America Gateway (AAG) provides the first direct terabit submarine cable network between south-east Asia and the United States. Spanning over 20,000 km with a capacity of 1.92Tbps, AAG will link Malaysia to the US west coast via Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Guam and Hawaii.

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