Marine Consulting

Role: Owner's Engineer — Submarine Interconnection Links

Acting as Owner's Engineer across the full project lifecycle, we gave Red Electrica a single point of trusted technical accountability across their submarine interconnection programme. This spanned route engineering and desktop studies, permitting and regulatory support, UXO survey management, EPCI tender evaluation, and construction oversight — onshore and offshore. We also developed the post-lay burial strategy, managed marine warranty surveyor interfaces, and produced the as-built documentation.

Complete technical and commercial coverage, from first survey to handover.

Role: Principal Marine Consultant

Appointed as Principal Marine Consultant on two major UK energy interconnectors, we provided National Grid and SSEN Transmission with the technical depth to progress confidently from survey through to construction. Our scope covered geophysical survey review, Cable Burial Risk Assessment (CBRA), HDD landfall feasibility and preliminary design, EPCI tender specification and evaluation, seabed mobility analysis in areas with sand waves of 2–7m, and UXO survey management across six months of operations.

Independent, expert oversight at every decision point.

Role: Survey Onshore Technical Advisor

Supporting a long-distance renewable energy interconnector project, we provided Xlinks with expert survey management and technical advisory services across a cable route spanning France, Spain and Portugal. Our team coordinated offshore operations and onshore data review, managed stakeholder and fisheries liaison, validated geotechnical sampling and lab results, and produced a Desktop Study Route Impact Analysis to inform routing and protection decisions.

Building the technical foundations that a project of this scale demands.

Role: Marine Consultant — multi-phase engagement

Our relationship with the Celtic Interconnector spans from a burial assessment study in 2015, through a pre-installation CBRA review integrating geological, geotechnical and AIS data in 2021, to Principal Marine Consultant during the 2023 installation phase itself. During installation, we provided daily technical oversight, an independent evaluation of seabed mobility, and a review of the Route Survey List in critical areas.

Long-term technical continuity on a landmark Ireland–France interconnector.

Role: Principal Marine Advisor — Full Lifecycle

Appointed as Principal Marine Advisor on this major HVDC link between Ayrshire and North Wales, we supported National Grid and Scottish Power from route development through construction and into operations. Our involvement covered route feasibility studies, geotechnical and UXO survey specifications, crossing agreements, HAZID management, fisheries and stakeholder engagement, HDD construction oversight, as-laid and as-built survey QC, and cable repair technical support. Post-installation, we continue to manage biannual depth-of-cover surveys and burial reviews.

Full-lifecycle support from first feasibility to ongoing operations and maintenance.

Role: Principal Marine Advisor — Phases 1 & 2

We provided continuous technical support to the IFA2 project across both phases of this 204km HVDC interconnector beneath the English Channel. In Phase 1, subcontracted through RSK, we delivered routing advice, survey management, burial and METOC risk assessments, EPCI tender specifications, and crossing agreement preparation. In Phase 2, contracted directly by IFA2, we managed route and cable engineering, UXO surveys, and ongoing marine consulting. Our retained involvement across both phases gave the client uninterrupted expertise and institutional knowledge throughout.

Seamless technical continuity on a complex, cross-border energy infrastructure project.