Northumberland-based Osbit Ltd, an offshore technology and engineering specialist, has won a contract from Chelmsford-based Global Marine Group to supply an advanced multi-function pre-lay and back-fill sub-sea plough.

The Scion 240 will deliver a step-change in ploughing technology by minimising the operational risk and the time required to install sub-sea cables for offshore wind.

It offers ‘unrivalled’ single-pass capability, delivering boulder clearance and pre-trenching up to 1.7m in a single run, leaving ‘a boulder cleared swathe and open trench with segregated spoil’.

The system features an extensive surveillance ‘suite’ for accurate route tracking and effective trenching.

The Scion 240 can also be reconfigured into back-fill mode, which uses the same control and surveillance suite to monitor the cable and trench profile, enabling reliable back-filling while ensuring the safety of the cable at all times.

Osbit (www.osbit.com) has an extensive track record in the design, build and modification of sub-sea vehicles spanning many decades.

The company’s engineers played key roles in the early development of sub-sea vehicles and have also been involved in more-recent technological breakthroughs in this area.

The Scion 240 plough is being designed and built at Osbit’s Blyth works and will be completed by the end of May 2019.

Osbit will support Global Marine Group and its customer with sea trials and will be available to assist Scion 240, as it commences work on its first project later in the summer.

Osbit director Robbie Blakeman said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been selected by Global Marine Group to deliver this project, which demonstrates our commitment to developing innovative sub-sea trenching solutions.

“Osbit has proven its capability in delivering sub-sea vehicles and we are proud to be realising the future of ploughing technology with this technically compelling system, which offers Global Marine Group real differentiation in the market.”