Rocky seabeds leave the stone age: Bringing together academic research and industry experience in the new BS10009 guideline for cable stability

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4. Rocky seabeds leave the stone age: Bringing together academic research and industry experience in the new BS10009 guideline for cable stability

Subsea power cables that deliver offshore renewable energy (ORE) to the grid must be secure and stable at the seabed. In many regions of ORE development the seabed is composed of rock and the cables are not buried but lie on the seafloor, exposed to strong currents or breaking waves. The starting point for subsea cable stability design has traditionally been the codes of practice developed for larger oil and gas pipelines. However, the physics of cable-seabed interaction are very different, due to the smaller diameter and higher flexibility of cables. In addition, rocky conditions lead to different cable-seabed interaction mechanisms compared to uncemented sediments. This paper introduces a new Guideline by the British Standards Institute that sets out new approaches to the design of cables on rocky seabeds. The Guideline brings together academic research, field observations and new analysis techniques. The resulting approach has stripped out significant design conservatism, by identifying higher seabed friction and lower hydrodynamic loading. In addition, initial movement of the cable from the as-laid position to a more stable alignment, reflecting the local rock bathymetry, is permitted. The improved design basis provides a reduction in cable weight and benefits in materials, fabrication and installation requirements. These research outcomes have already been applied to offshore renewable energy (ORE) developments around the world. This new BSI Guideline, which is rooted in the underlying physics and validated in the field, supports better ORE design.

5th International Symposium on Frontiers in Offshore Geotechnics (ISFOG2025)

15 - Mooring lines, Cables, Pipelines, Immersed tunnels and Risers