Infoterra launches AssetMonitor service
10 March 2010
New ‘AssetMonitor’ service launched to protect underwater cables and pipelines from shipping damageChannel Islands Electricity Grid (CIEG) is first organisation to deploy web-based Infoterra service in order to protect its critical power lines between France and the Channel Islands.
Today Infoterra launched AssetMonitor, a new submarine asset protection service aimed at helping to protect valuable underwater assets – such as electricity & telecoms cables and oil & gas pipelines – from accidental damage by anchors and fishing activity. The company is also pleased to announce that Guernsey and Jersey Electricity’s Channel Islands Electricity Grid (CIEG) has become the first organisation to deploy AssetMonitor, and will use it to protect the two 90,000 Volt submarine cables that supply power and fibre optic communications from France to Jersey and on to Guernsey.
Damage to undersea assets due to shipping is a significant global problem, resulting in interrupted services, expensive repairs to assets and the uncertain availability of suitable repair vessels. Current trends show that incidences of submarine asset damage are likely to increase with the deployment of offshore wind farms and marine turbines.
Infoterra’s new Web based AssetMonitor solution uses live shipping vessel positions and data from the shipboard Automatic Identification System (AIS) broadcast system - in conjunction with Route Position Lists for undersea assets - to generate automatic warnings if an asset may be at risk due to shipping activity.
AssetMonitor enables the customer to define protection zones around its cables or pipelines and configure rules based upon AIS data to identify vessels that may be a hazard – for example vessels that are trying to anchor or dragging anchor close to the cables. If a vessel breaks one of the rules in the protection zone, then a warning will automatically be raised in the organisation’s control room. Email and SMS messages can then be triggered, depending upon the severity of the event.
“The Jersey and Guernsey submarine interconnector cables are a key part of the Channel Islands infrastructure, supplying some 97 percent of Jersey’s and up to 80 per cent of Guernsey’s annual electricity power requirements. The cables also carry high capacity fibre optic communication cables that allow the Channel Islands’ financial services sector to operate globally on a 24/7 basis. Clearly any interruption to either service would have significant implications for the economy of both Guernsey and Jersey.Back to news list
That’s why, when we first heard about Infoterra’s AssetMonitor service, the decision to sign up was easy and we moved quickly to ensure that our critical infrastructure could benefit from this exciting new submarine asset protection service.
Sally-Ann David, Director, Channel Islands Electricity Grid
"Repairs to damaged submarine assets are always expensive – not just for insurance companies, but also in terms of the broader economic implications when a critical service is interrupted. That’s why the primary aim of AssetMonitor is to prevent expensive submarine damage incidents by giving vessels plenty of warning if they are slowing down or anchoring in a ‘protected’ submarine area. We believe if just a single incidence of undersea damage can be avoided, then AssetMonitor will have paid for itself many times over.”
Dave Curry, Infoterra’s Product Development Manager for AssetMonitor