Acoustic cable detection and tracking

An increasing number of cables are being laid in bodies of water, for example, to connect offshore wind farms to the onshore power grid or for telecommunications cables. Especially in shallow waters, cables are usually buried in the seabed to protect them from damage caused by ship traffic, anchors, wave action, or other influences.

After installation, the exact position of the cables—particularly the compliance with the required sediment coverage—must be documented. The position and coverage of the cables must then be verified at regular intervals throughout their operational lifetime. Cable operators and authorities place high demands on the accuracy of the determined cable position (10% of the burial depth or 5% of the sensor distance). After installation, the cable's position must be documented with a high point density.

INNOMAR sub-bottom profilers are used, among other things, for locating buried pipelines and cables. In this process, profiles running perpendicular to the cable route are analyzed and the cable position is determined manually. This method is very time-consuming and costly. While the positional accuracy is very high, the economically achievable point density is not sufficient for the initial survey after installation.