Subsea Micropiles drills into deeper data foundations with purchase

The move comes as the UK Government confirms a £1.1bn budget for offshore wind in the latest Contract for Difference (CfD) allocation round, signalling continued expansion of seabed development activity in UK waters.

Subsea Micropiles is a UK-based company focused on adapting onshore micropile foundation systems for subsea use. Its work centres on developing compact, drill-in anchor and foundation solutions for marine renewable projects, including fixed and floating offshore wind. The firm has been working to integrate geotechnical and geophysical data streams to better understand seabed complexity during early project stages.

Acoustic Zoom, founded by geophysicist Jacques Yves Guigné, has spent more than two decades developing seismic imaging methods aimed at resolving fine-scale geological features such as fractures, micro-faults and variable sediment structures.

Its beam-forming techniques have been applied in challenging onshore and offshore environments where conventional seismic methods often struggle to provide sufficient resolution.

Subsea Micropiles  says the purchase of Acoustic Zoom’s IP will allow it to bring geological imaging and geotechnical assessment closer together, with the aim of reducing uncertainty in foundation design and installation. The company says it intends to combine acoustic imaging with existing geotechnical survey approaches to create more detailed ground models.

Subsea Micropiles says these models will be used to inform anchor and foundation behaviour across different seabed types.

Earlier this year, Subsea Micropiles trialled Acoustic Zoom’s technology during an anchor installation operation in Scapa Flow, Orkney. 

Guigné, now chief scientific officer at Subsea Micropiles, said the technology can convert shear-wave velocities into geological information that may assist in early-stage engineering decisions.

Subsea Micropiles’ co-founder and geotechnical director Jon Machin said the company intends to integrate the technology with its subsea robotics and micropile systems to enhance its survey and installation work flow.

Both companies operate within a sector under pressure to reduce project risk and cost as offshore wind turbines increase in size and foundations must be placed in more complex seabed conditions. 

“Leveraging subsea robotics we are adapting deep pile foundation solutions proven over decades with micropiles as well as survey techniques normally limited to onshore geological test pits,” said Subsea Micropiles co-founder and Geotechnical director Jon Machin. “The acquisition of intellectual property from Acoustic Zoom and ongoing collaboration with Prof. Guigné is a fulfilment of our technology vision and welcome expansion of service capabilities in the offshore industry.”