All-inclusive surveyPhil Wilson, Sales Manager at MMT, came in to talk to PES about their latest all-inclusive surveys. Innovation and customer service are integral to their approach and the services provided.

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PES: Welcome to PES Wind magazine. Would you like to begin by explaining a little about the background of your organisation and how you currently serve the wind industry?

Phil Wilson: MMT was founded in 1976 and has since then developed into a mid-size marine survey company with 250 staff. Today MMT is a key supplier to both the oil and gas sector as well as the renewable energy sector. From software developments to the latest remotely operated vehicle solutions.

MMT has always had a strong focus on innovation in order to supply their clients with the best possible survey data on the market. Hydrographic, geophysical, geotechnical, environmental and UXO surveys are core business.

Today, approximately 60% of the turnover comes from the offshore wind and subsea cables where the UXO surveys, shallow geotechnical services as well as the environmental studies are also a key focus as well as the full scope of geophysical investigations.

PES: We know you work in a variety of sectors so how important is the offshore wind business to MMT?

PW: We have had a good number of significant projects, working for key players over the past years and it is still a growing and key market for us.

PES: You provide several different solutions to the offshore wind industry, we would like to know more, can you expand on this?

PW: The customer’s journey within offshore wind includes various phases. We provide surveys such as site work, reconnaissance surveys and route surveys. We have an understanding of the

geo and seabed challenges, remove them and provide better planning for the location of the turbine as well as inter array and export cables.

Our expert teams, highly technical equipment and vessels allow us to offer our clients integrated solutions at all stages of the process: from surveying prime locations, identifying optimal seabed conditions for construction and foundations, investigating potential cable routes and conducting environmental surveys to understand habitat information within the development sites.

Our integrated services can combine geophysical and geotechnical surveys from the same vessel for swift and efficient operations. Our skills and services give our clients the relevant information, designed to fit their planning processes and ensure that all data is adequate and certain.

Our Geographical Information System (GIS) ensures that the data is captured, stored, analysed, managed and presented in the most effective way.

PES: We have been reading a lot about your integrated services, combining geophysical and geotechnical surveys from the same vessel, what are they and how are they used in the offshore wind sector?

PW: We have a wide spread of vessels for different conditions, mobilisation and in-house resources. Our geotechnical and environmental would be one campaign or separate with full integrated in-house services to ensure that our clients can design and engineer the most cost effective and reliable wind farm, export and inter array cables, as well as HVDC links and interconnectors in their projects.

Our geotechnical investigations are carried out using specialist equipment, including

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vibrocorers, pistoncorers, day grab and CPTs and then an analysis of the soil is conducted at our carefully selected laboratories, so we produce the best and most accurate results.

Our environmental surveys map marine habitats using remote sensing methods, multibeam and side scan sonars and ground truthing equipment, including drop-cameras, ROVs and seabed sampling tools.

The results, together with habitat classification and statistical analysis, are then presented in reports, charts and GIS. These reports commonly form an essential part of our clients’ EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) documentation.

PES: Is this a unique offer and what are the benefits to the customer?

PW: Our offer itself is not unique. MMT takes pride in the final integrated report, working with clients so that they fully understand their challenges and risks in their installation and construction phases.

However, the core value of MMT’s backbone – flexibility, innovation, reliability

and efficiency is something that we often get direct feedback on. We are easy to work with and that is something that many clients value more than the actual cost. Or at least, that is why we have so many returning customers.

We work in partnership with the customers and this is a great benefit to them - we dig into their problems to find the most risk free and cost efficient solutions but never lose out on the quality of the survey data nor the integrated reports.

In the end, the result of our partnership minimises the proceeding’s cost impact on the final result.

PES: At what time in the wind farm installation process are your surveys needed?

PW: From the start and throughout the whole process, from planning the site, development of reconnaissance, construction, operation phase to monitoring surveys. This is something we would like the industry to see as a real cost-saving and by that we mean that we, as a preferred partner, with in-house resources and data

management could ease their planning phases by having all data collected at the same location, on relatively short notice on both vessel availability and geo expertise.

PES: We are curious to know what makes your surveys stand out from the competition?

PW: We have a good range of vessels, from costal surveys in water depth “0” to large DP2 vessels for offshore activities. We own mostly of our survey equipment and the mobilization between our vessels, warehouse and partners are swift and safe and on time.

Our staff are our most important asset. They are well educated, trained and experienced and have a mind-set built on our core values – this is something we work hard on internally.

They are our experts; the people are the knowledge behind our ultra-high resolution data and the reports that we deliver to our customers. They have a ‘can-do’ attitude, a sincere interest in the ocean, its environment, the techniques and ‘what comes next’.

We believe that this has built MMT up to

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what it is today – a mid-size offshore company with great pride in its staff, clients and services and who always delivers.

PES: How does your Geographical Information System (GIS) work and how does it benefit the client?

PW: Our detailed survey findings are processed, interpreted and presented in GIS integrated interactive software and also as traditional reports and charts. The benefit is that this data management gathers all data together.

If the data acquired during survey are required in a Geographical Information System (GIS). If data is to be transferred within the project team, data deliverables from charted and surveyed features referenced within the reporting and charting, must be made available in GIS compliant formats.

MMTs data management includes metadata handling, quality assurance procedures and quality control steps. MMT GIS import and manage all spatial data within a range of different relational geodatabases.

The GIS is a tool used to support ongoing survey and/or installation, route analysis, planning and decision making. Documentation as laid and as built, as well as storing and comparing annual survey data, e.g. cable/ pipeline inspections. Our GIS department have thorough software knowledge market leading suppliers.

PES: How do you optimise the costs to the client and still provide an accident free survey with the best quality data?

PW: Our goal is zero HSEQ accident, safety first. By constantly training our staff, optimising work and identifying solutions to deliver on client requirements we are able to give our clients a bit more than they asked for. We add quality and we add value to the deliverables.

We execute all surveys with complete commitment from our experienced teams. Our standards are set high, both as a company and by our individual team members. Our Quality Management System, together with our own company ethics, ensures that we are the leaders in our field and always deliver to the highest standard.

Our system ensures that quality assurance is delivered throughout all stages of survey operations and our vessel activities. We constantly improve and lead the way in competence, workmanship and standard of service, making us the smart choice for our clients.

PES: How important is training to MMT and how does it impact on your services?

PW: We provide staff develop to ensure our personnel are confident in all aspects of our services. All employees and hired personnel have a basic introduction to the

Management System and then a specific introduction to the actual department and work procedures.

Review of competences within the company is ongoing during the project planning to make sure MMT meet the competency demands for each, actual client requirement.

Also, each employee’s skills are reviewed during the annual performance appraisal to identify possible needs for development and education. Employees also attend external courses to keep knowledge and competence continuously at a high level, as applicable and needed for e.g. new specific programs and also MMT internal courses are given regarding the key programs used in the data processing.

These internal courses are often given by MMT key personnel with specific skills according to the program to make sure all a high standard throughout. For instance the work procedures on deck, e.g. launch and recovery of equipment, are reviewed to make sure the work with potential hazards are performed with risks as low as reasonably possible. Training has always

been a top priority.

PES: Speaking from a global standpoint, which geographical regions do you anticipate being key for MMT in 2017?

PW: For the offshore wind sector we are well established in Northern Europe and actively pursuing opportunities, in the emerging Mediterranean offshore wind market, with both existing and new clients. We have a strong track record and are ready and well positioned to support the future development of the Offshore wind sector throughout Europe.

PES: There have been significant changes in the political landscape, with BREXIT and Donald Trump in the Whitehouse, how do you think these will affect the current trade agreements?

PW: We have the ability to react to market changes. For the moment, with 40 years on the market, strong owners and an established presence in the UK we do not find the trade barriers that high. Aligning with our clients and having a close relationship is the most important to us.

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