New 'AssetMonitor' service launched to protect ...

17 March 2010, 1:43pm

New 'AssetMonitor' service launched to protect underwater cables and pipelines from shipping damage

The Channel Islands Electricity Grid (CIEG) is the first organisation to deploy new web-based Infoterra service in order to protect its critical power lines between France and the Channel Islands

Today Infoterra launched AssetMonitor, a new submarine asset protection service aimed at helping to protect valuable underwater assets - such as electricity and telecoms cables and oil and gas pipelines - from accidental damage by anchors and fishing activity. The company is also pleased to announce that the Channel Islands Electricity Grid (CIEG), a joint venture between Guernsey Electricity and Jersey Electricity, has become the first organisation to deploy AssetMonitor, and will use it to protect the two 90,000 volt submarine cables that supply power and fibre optic communications from France to Jersey and onwards to Guernsey.

Damage to undersea assets due to shipping is a significant global problem, resulting in interrupted services, expensive repairs and the uncertain availability of suitable repair vessels. Current trends show that incidences of submarine asset damage are likely to increase with the deployment of offshore wind farms and marine turbines. Infoterra's new web based AssetMonitor solution uses live shipping vessel positions and data from the shipboard Automatic Identification System (AIS) broadcast system - in conjunction with Route Position Lists for undersea assets - to generate automatic warnings if an asset may be at risk due to shipping activity.

AssetMonitor enables the customer to define protection zones around its cables or pipelines and configure rules based upon AIS data to identify vessels that may be a hazard - for example vessels that are trying to anchor or dragging anchor close to the cables. If a vessel breaks one of the rules in the protection zone, then a warning will automatically be raised in the organisation's control room. Email and SMS messages can then be triggered, depending upon the severity of the event.

"The Jersey and Guernsey submarine cables are a key part of the Channel Islands infrastructure, supplying some 97 percent of Jersey's and up to 80 per cent of Guernsey's annual electricity requirements. The cables also carry high capacity fibre optic communication cables that allow the Channel Islands' financial services sector to operate globally on a 24/7 basis. Clearly any interruption to either service would have significant implications for the economy of both Guernsey and Jersey," commented Sally-Ann David, Director, Channel Islands Electricity Grid.

"The decision to implement the AssetMonitor system makes business sense to the CIEG. One of our key objectives is to provide greater security for the critical infrastructure of the Channel Islands and we believe that this system will help us achieve this," continued Sally-Ann David.

Dave Curry, Infoterra's Product Development Manager for AssetMonitor, added: "Repairs to damaged submarine assets are always expensive - not just for insurance companies, but also in terms of the broader economic implications when a critical service is interrupted. That's why the primary aim of AssetMonitor is to prevent expensive submarine damage incidents by giving vessels plenty of warning if they are slowing down or anchoring in a 'protected' submarine area. We believe if just a single incidence of undersea damage can be avoided, then AssetMonitor will have paid for itself many times over."

www.infoterra.co.uk

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