PROJECT SUMMARY

Fibre optic cables are essential to gaining access to telecommunications services such as TV, the internet, and phones. The best way to connect these cables internationally is by running them along the ocean floor.

The HDD Company was hired to help create the infrastructure for fibre optic cables running from Singapore to land in Eureka, California. The team was specifically responsible for connecting the cable to shore using the directional bore method. This method was chosen as it’s best suited for drilling through challenging formations.

The HDD Company built a heavy HDD rig to install the steel pipe and bring the cable ashore. This rig was capable of 900,000 pounds of push/pull and 50,000 pounds of rotary to install the conduit.

KEY CHALLENGES

This project presented a number of technical challenges, including strict regulations, tight work sites, and a long bore pipe at 1,646 m (5,400 ft).

Meeting the high level of environmental standards was particularly challenging but was also why The HDD Company was chosen to take on this project. The key to overcoming these challenges is having a team who is highly skilled in horizontal directional drilling and who knows how to properly protect the environment in the process.

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SERVICES PROVIDED

HORIZONTAL DIRECTIONAL DRILLING, SHORE APPROACH