Frequently asked questions

Our systems are the result of several years of continuous refinement, based upon feedback from internal and external users, all of which has led to the CPNL product range available today. Our systems are designed to be simple and effective, and take into account the entire life cycle of the project. Feedback from our clients shows us that in general the advantages of our products are not always obvious until they are used in practice. It is starts with "aha", and from there things go exactly as planned with no surprises. Assembly, installation and retrieval of the cable and CPS is kept simple and quick, thanks to our truly boltless solution within the dynamic zone. All lessons learned from O&M projects have been incorporated into the designs we offer today. CPNL products function as designed, our life cycle assessments are based on empirical test results, and our systems have been proven in real O&M scenarios to be truly 'diverless' and maintenance-free and without need for additional stabilisation after installation. CPNL has a long-term vision regarding cable protection solutions with DNV-GL Design Certification, representing all individual CPS components, to verify unrestricted offshore use of its CPS for a minimum duration of 25 years, with a safety margin of 5. In order to achieve this certification we designed and implemented empirical testing of our systems, based on worst case scenario conditions, the result is a proven simple system, easily installed and retrieved without divers which is unique in the market.

Cable Protection Systems can be roughly divided into three main categories; 1. Solutions for monopile entry (ie through a monopile aperture, also referred to as J-tubeless)
 2. Solutions for I-/J-tube entry
 3. Solutions for seabed protection – such as areas of rock outcrop or where soils are not trenchable.
 There are then subcategories for 1 and 2 including 'bend stiffeners’ and 'bend restrictor' solutions, not to mention solutions from different materials. Selecting an appropriate Cable Protection System for your site specific circumstances may not be as simple as you’d first expect.

CPNL offers, as a standard, 25 years product warranty for all its systems. We are also uniquely able to offer an insurance backed 15yr warranty which covers the removal and reinstallation of a customers cable with a supplied replacement should the cable fail within the area protected by the CPS. CPNL is the first supplier with this unique extended product warranty, which we are able to offer based on the confidence gained by our DNV-GL Design Certificate. Please contact our commercial team for further details of this option.

An offshore project has an expected lifespan objective of 25 years or more. A cable in an offshore environment such as that found in renewables will be exposed to all kinds of influences, which impacts the product lifetime of the cable. In the past the following evaluation was made to meet this 25-year objective: Apply more armouring to the cable, which leads to considerably higher purchase prices for the cable; or Apply Cable Protection Systems at a lower expense. Offshore windfarm developers have opted for the installation of Cable Protection Systems based on this being the more cost effective solution. Proper attention should be paid to determining what is needed from a CPS to fulfil project requirements. Not all CPSs are suitable or applicable for your cable assets/site conditions. The more specific you are as a developer/contractor, based on your assessment, the better the results will be translated into achieving the 25-year life span objective. Though careful selection of CPS developers/contractors can ensure that their projects do not suffer costly downtime/repairs during the project O&M phase, which could have been avoided by careful procurement.

As the name suggests Cable Protection Systems (CPS) protect subsea power, data and telecommunication cables within a maritime environment against various factors that negatively impact on the cable lifetime. Cable Protection Systems are usually applied in the dynamic zone, which is from the point of cable entry to the structure down to a designated trench point, to prevent excessive wear due to dynamic influences such as current, and spans. Our CPS has also been used for other purposes, such as protecting water pipes between islands and the mainland.

CPNL offers a broad range of inner diameters articulated pipes, made of a high quality ductile cast iron in accordance with DIN-1563 EN-GJS-400-15. A coated version of the articulated pipe is also available, which is suitable for poor visibility in water and to avoid oxidation and corrosion pitting completely. The range starts at 30mm inner diameter all the way up to 300mm inner diameter with an effective length of 333mm. Upon client request, CPNL also offers 500mm effective length. All other cable related aspects, such as MBR, will be included in the design.