Following a period of intensive development with over £10 million invested in R&D, Subsea Micropiles reached a major technical milestone with the installation of a commercial drilled and grouted "micropile" anchor solution for Orkney Harbour Authority (OHA) in Scotland.

The adaptation of micropiling technology to the offshore sector poses a highly beneficial disruption to the industry. Using smaller vessels and remote seabed drilling systems, large construction jobs can be more reliably completed with lower cost, minimal environmental impact and high local content.

The approach led by Subsea Micropiles provides a scalable industrial solution for large projects including offshore wind, both fixed and floating structures. Foundation designs can be adapted for high load regimes across a wide range of soil conditions.

Mobilization of drill rig from Lyness, Hoy. (Image credit: Subsea Micropiles)

Jim Buck, Harbormaster at OHA, commented: "The technical solution that has been developed by Subsea Micropiles has exceptional potential to become critical infrastructure for floating offshore wind in Scotland.

“The Orkney Harbour Authority is pleased to become an ‘early adopter’ in order to support innovation like this in the marine industry—and we will now explore opportunities for its use, whether that be as a mooring point for our tug fleet or uses around offshore wind in the future.”

CEO at Subsea Micropiles, Derek Robertson added "I am very proud to recognize the pioneering achievements of our team who are introducing a full-solution and service capability to the market. We have invested heavily in the design of micropiled structures, development of new subsea drilling equipment, and the implementation of highly productive drilling technology with our industry partners at Mincon. I am grateful for the interest and outstanding support from OHA as well as our suppliers in Orkney and beyond."