JUNE/JULY 2013 | £5.25 - Wind Energy Network

INDUSTRY NEWSINDUSTRY NEWSIT’SOU!ALL ABOUTQueen’s award forthe third time inthree years!SMD has been honoured with the prestigiousQueen’s Award for Enterprise in theInnovation category in recognition of thedevelopment of its specialist subseatrenching technology.The Wallsend-based company previouslywon a Queen’s Award for innovation in2011 for its work-class remotely operatedvehicles (WROVs), which was followedup last year with the presentation of aQueen’s Award in the International Tradecategory for its growing presence andsuccess in global markets.Technological innovationSMD’s latest Queen’s Award recognisesthe innovations the company has madeto its subsea trenching and ploughingequipment to create a suite oftechnology suited to offshorewind and offshore powercable installation.Three product rangesOriginally developed for subsea cableinstallation for the telecommunicationsindustry, SMD spent five years developingits technology to create three productranges applicable to different soilconditions and vessel requirements.The company is one of the world’sleading manufacturers of remoteintervention equipment, which is operatedin hazardous environments across theglobe and its trenching technology isbeing deployed on a number of importantenergy sector projects.CollaborationAmong the advances in this field has beenthe creation of the QTrencher range. SMDhas worked closely with Reef SubseaPower and Umbilical Ltd to develop theQTrencher 1000 (QT 1000).The QT1000 is a free-flying ROV jettrencher, which can operate in waterdepths up to 2000 metres andin a variety of soil conditions.In addition, SMD’s first Q-Trencher 1400(QT 1400) has been developed for FugroSalt Subsea. This model has the ability tosupport post-lay burial of power cablesand low lines and is able to operatein hard clay environments using highpressure jetting systems.DedicationAndrew Hodgson, Chief Executiveof SMD, said: “Securing a hat-trickof consecutive Queen’s Awards istestament to the innovative engineeringtalent we have at SMD who areconsistently challenging themselvesto develop new and more effectivesolutions that meet the requirements ofthe industries we serve.“Our dedication to continual innovationhas enabled SMD to become a worldleader in subsea intervention technology.The increasing activity in the globalenergy sector, particularly the offshorerenewables market, is creating newopportunities for technology-led supplychain companies that can deliverinnovative solutions to ensure theeffective installation and operation ofoffshore assets.“This latest Queen’s Award reflectsour achievements in this field and weare very proud to be again recognisedby these very prestigious and highlyregardedawards.”SMDwww.smd.co.ukClick to view more info= Click to view video06 www.windenergynetwork.co.ukwww.windenergynetwork.co.uk 07