Why submarine cable monitoring matters to insurers.

subsea or submarine power cables

As the need for renewable energy sources increases, so do damage claims of offshore wind farms. Facing the brunt such claims, insurance companies are turning to submarine cable monitoring. Over 80% of insurance claims were due to cable damage.

As the need for renewable energy sources increases, so do damage claims of offshore wind farms. Facing the brunt such claims, insurance companies are turning to submarine cable monitoring.

Many factors expose offshore power cables to damage and outages. The seabed is a dynamic environment and the ocean is home to numerous unexpected events such as anchoring, fishing, cable overheating, boat traffic etc. 

In [2020] alone, over 80% of insurance claims were due to cable damage. As wind farms are constructed in ever deeper waters around the globe, this number is expected to rise. 

That is why insurers are increasingly interested in continuous submarine cable monitoring. Continuous monitoring allows O&M teams to observe evolutions and intervene before disaster strikes. With appropriate procedures in place, wind farm owners can reassure insurers that cable failures are less likely to take place, or that repairs can at least be planned. In turn, such reassurance will allow insurers to potentially lower their premiums. 

The traditional approach for inspecting the health of a submarine cable.

Traditionally, these cables are inspected once a year by a survey vessel and often an unmanned vehicle. Surveys are expensive and only provide a single snapshot of the situation. If a cable gets exposed by a storm at sea, this will only be picked up at the next survey date, up to one year after the fact. 

By continuously measuring temperature inside the submarine cable using the embedded fiber optic cable as a proxy, it is possible calculate the cable’s depth of burial up to 26 times a year, without the risk, cost and planning involved in sending a survey crew. 

Learn more about Marlinks.

Are you an insurer or are you responsible for the health of submarine cables? Let’s have a chat at sales@marlinks.com and we will be happy to help you.

Highlighted news

offshore wind farm with substation

Termination Temperature Monitoring (TTM) with FBG’s on cable joints and ends in offshore wind farms

TTM with FBGs involves embedding FBG-sensor lines onto the termination connectors, allowing real-time monitoring of temperature changes. By continuously measuring temperature variations, operators can gather ...
Read More

Why a customized Cable Monitoring approach brings you the best results

At Marlinks we believe designing a cable condition monitoring systems for the offshore wind industry always needs to be tailored to the specifics of a ...
Read More
offshore wind farm horizontal

Marlinks monitors Hai Long undersea power cables

Marlinks, the global leader in subsea cable integrity monitoring services, has secured its first major contract in Taiwan. The project involves the cable health monitoring ...
Read More

Meet our new Business Developer for the UK and US, Andrew Lloyd

Last month Marlinks had the pleasure to onboard Andrew Lloyd, our new UK Business Development Manager, who comes with a vast experience in the power ...
Read More
high voltage tower

Ampacimon and Marlinks sign MoU to enhance cable monitoring services

Ampacimon and Marlinks, have signed an MoU to combine the complementary strengths in monitoring of cables, power lines and substations with their respective sensing technologies ...
Read More
Scroll to Top