Engineering expertise at the ocean floor

When Ocean Winds needed to drill through rocky seabed to install turbine foundations at the 480-MW Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm, conventional equipment wouldn't cut it. The project called for a marine hose capable of handling abrasive slurry under high pressure and crushing loads, in a vertical drilling configuration never before attempted offshore.

Trelleborg engineered a custom-designed reeling hose for the job, drawing on expertise from mining applications to incorporate abrasion-resistant liners. A nippleless construction, where the flange is fully embedded in rubber, eliminated a common failure point and simplified installation. Built-in wear indicator layers inside the hose allowed operators to monitor liner condition without disassembly, reducing unplanned downtime.
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The results confirmed the design's reliability. Hoses operating in a straight configuration remained in good condition throughout the full drilling campaign, demonstrating that upfront investment in high-performance components pays off across a project's operational life.
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As offshore wind expands into deeper waters and more complex terrain, purpose-engineered solutions will play a critical role in keeping projects on schedule and on budget.