A group of European industrial companies has formed the Searénité consortium to develop a system aimed at reducing underwater noise during offshore construction, with a particular focus on floating wind and jacket foundation projects.
The consortium brings together Chantiers de l’Atlantique, EDF Power Solutions, Heerema Marine Contractors, Menck, RTE, Sealence, and Smulders. The partners said the work will target noise generated during piling and installation activities linked to floating wind foundations and offshore substations.
At the center of the project is the adaptation of Sealence’s SubSea Quieter technology for jacket foundations and deepwater anchoring of floating wind turbines. The system uses air-inflatable membrane panels placed around subsea structures to create an acoustic barrier intended to limit underwater noise during construction operations.
The consortium plans to validate the solution for water depths of up to 300 m. During the first year, the project will move through design, modeling, and testing stages, with work focused on defining the system for floating wind turbine anchors, offshore substations, and wind turbines using jacket-type foundations.
The initiative has secured EUR 7.1 million under the France 2030 program. Prototype trials are scheduled for 2028 at the Port of Saint-Nazaire. Subject to successful validation at that stage, the partners may then move to a full-scale offshore demonstration during a substation installation.
According to the consortium, the technology is intended to provide an effective underwater noise reduction solution for deepwater installations through a simple, economical, and ecological system.
