Subsea Cable Plough Recovery
Australia | Australia
Resolve Marine was contracted to support the recovery of a subsea cable burial plough after the towing arrangement failed during a cable-laying operation on the south coast of Australia. Unlike conventional recovery operations, where the plough is disconnected from the cable system and lifted onto a support vessel for transport back to port, Resolve Marine developed and executed an alternative recovery strategy that preserved the integrity of the live cable system and significantly reduced operational downtime.In approximately 95 meters of water, the 32-ton plough remained structurally intact on the seabed with its umbilical and telecommunications cable connected and fully operational. Working from a multipurpose vessel equipped with a 40-ton active-heave compensated crane and work-class ROV, Resolve Marine conducted a detailed subsea assessment before recovering and reconfiguring the plough's towing arrangement. Using a combination of ROV intervention, precision crane operations, and subsea rigging techniques, the team successfully reconnected the plough to the cable vessel's primary tow wire while it remained connected to the live cable system. Once the tow arrangement was restored, the cable vessel recovered the plough using its own onboard winch and A-frame, eliminating the need for transport to a secondary location and avoiding unnecessary cable cuts or splices.
By enabling a self-recovery solution, Resolve Marine helped the client return the plough to deck for inspection and redeployment within the same operational window. The approach minimized disruption to the cable-laying campaign, preserved the integrity of the telecommunications cable, and eliminated the delays typically associated with vessel transit, equipment transfer, and cable repair activities. The project demonstrates Resolve Marine's ability to deliver innovative offshore recovery solutions that reduce risk, protect critical subsea infrastructure, and keep complex marine operations moving.
