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From seabed to wind farm: the crucial role of survey poles
Kilometers beneath the water’s surface lie valuable cables and structures that make offshore wind farms possible. But how do you know exactly where this infrastructure needs protection? The answer lies in a seemingly simple yet ingeniously designed structure: the survey pole. This specially developed pole, equipped with advanced sensors, plays a key role in the safe installation of offshore wind farms. Royal Roos, with offices in Rotterdam and Spain and a team of 40 professionals, has become a specialist in engineering this crucial technology. We spoke with Zakaria Sachhi, an experienced engineer at Royal Roos, about why this expertise is so important for the future of sustainable offshore technology.
The essence of survey pole engineering
“When people think of an offshore wind farm, they often picture the imposing turbines. Few realize that beneath the water lies a complex network of cables and structures that need protection,” says Zakaria. “This is where a survey pole comes in: essentially an extension from the deck of a ship equipped with advanced sensors. These sensors scan the seabed and help us determine exactly where protective rock bags should be placed around cables and structures.”
Precision and stability as keys to success
“The expertise of Royal Roos lies mainly in ensuring the stability of these survey poles,” says Zakaria. “Our focus is on seafastening, making sure the construction withstands all forces at sea. We work with aft and forward tensioners to minimize bending. The sensors must extend below the ship’s baseline (sometimes half a meter, sometimes a full meter) depending on the specific project requirements. The maximum bending is checked to ensure it remains within the acceptable limit of each installed sensor.”
In-depth analysis of survey pole designs
In practice, thorough analysis of engineering documents is essential. “When reviewing existing designs, we sometimes find that certain forces have been overlooked,” Zakaria notes. “For example, if only vertical forces have been considered in the calculations, we adjust the design to also account for horizontal forces caused by ship movements. This way, we help our clients achieve a more comprehensive engineering solution.”
Flexible approach
“We are known for our flexible, customer-oriented approach and are always available for our clients, even on weekends if challenges arise during mobilization,” emphasizes Zakaria. “We contribute ideas and provide solutions that work. This approach has led to strong, long-term relationships with clients such as BMS Offshore. It’s truly rewarding work.”
Continuous improvement
Royal Roos places great importance on continuously improving its services. “After each project, we evaluate with the client what went well and what can be improved,” says Zakaria. “These lessons learned are incorporated into future projects, helping us continuously refine our expertise.”
An engineering partner for the offshore industry
“We are currently involved in various offshore wind projects in Taiwan. Companies often approach us because they don’t have their own engineering department,” explains Zakaria. “They handle everything with their clients and suppliers themselves but rely on us for engineering. Even larger companies with their own engineering departments come to us when they need temporary extra capacity. Our extensive experience with survey pole engineering is a major advantage for many of our clients.”
Zakaria adds: "We always closely follow the approval procedures of the classification societies. Some clients prefer this approach because they want to start mobilization as quickly as possible. Thanks to our experience with these procedures, we ensure that the engineering is approved efficiently."
Top 3: Technical essentials of survey poles
“For those working with survey poles, there are some crucial technical aspects to consider,” Zakaria emphasizes. “From my experience as an engineer, these are the three most important points to know:”
1. Sensors on a survey pole scan the seabed to determine exactly where protective rock bags should be placed around cables and wind turbine structures.
2. The sensors on the pole must extend below the ship’s baseline, depending on the project, this can range from half a meter to a full meter.
3. To ensure accurate measurements, the bending of the pole must not exceed ten centimeters. Therefore, the design takes into account both vertical and horizontal forces caused by ship movements.
Getting started with survey poles?
Do you have questions about survey poles or want to learn more about the engineering possibilities? Zakaria and his colleagues are happy to assist.
