Subsea Riser Products Ltd (SRP), an Acteon company and part of its marine risers and moorings business, has completed the third and final installation using the SRP Rocksteady™ mooring connector for the Perth Wave Energy demonstration project, offshore Western Australia.

Summarising the original sourcing decision, David Kessel, Carnegie supply chain and IMS manager, said, “As part of the ground-breaking Perth Wave Energy Project, a competitive tender process was undertaken for the rapid connection system that joins the CETO pump to the seabed pile foundation. Carnegie Wave Energy selected Subsea Riser Products (SRP) and its Rocksteady connector technology based on cost, quality, reliability and delivery.”

Carnegie’s demonstration project is the first wave energy project to use a variant of the SRP Rocksteady subsea mooring connector. Kessel added, “The Rocksteady connector ensured a safe, quick connection and subsequent release of the CETO unit, which significantly reduced the installation time and the amount of diver intervention needed.

“During the first unit installation, the Rocksteady connector automatically latched when fully inserted in the receptacle. It was then preloaded to survive the cyclic wave loading. Carnegie required a one-day (port-to-port) installation and met this target with the installation of the second and third CETO units, in which the Rocksteady played a vital role.”

With all three CETO systems now installed, the Rocksteady subsea mooring connectors, with a maximum breaking load (MBL) of 2,000 tonnes, have been operating successfully for more than six months in sea states of up to 3.5 m wave height. Carnegie will soon be undertaking the first subsea disconnection to conduct an onshore inspection of the full CETO 5 system.