Twenty kilometres south of Singapore, across the Strait of Singapore, Batam Island has grown into a major industry and telecommunication centre for Indonesia. Now, Indonesian telecom operators have taken advantage of Batam Island’s proximity to Singapore by installing a submarine cable network to expand Indonesia’s information pipeline to the rest of the world.

The Strait of Singapore is one of the busiest sea routes in the world. Protecting the submarine cables, particularly those near the shoreline, requires an advanced installation method to run the cable under the beach to a beach manhole. HDD is the preferred installation method for this technique and one of the leading local construction companies, Lucky Joint, has successfully carried out this complex engineering operation for a number of new submarine cable and backhaul systems over the last few years.

Keeping the lines of communication open

Formed in 1982, Lucky Joint is run by two brothers who started working together on subcontract projects back in 1976. Now with a staff of 158, 63 vehicles and 50 machines including two Vermeer HDD rigs, the company is a clear success. “We have a tradition of investing in the latest machinery. It’s a policy that has helped us distinguish our business and secure major contracts,” says Yeow Kian Seng, owner of Lucky Joint. “We are the first local company to own a Vermeer D33x44 and D80x120 NAVIGATOR HDDs. Owning these powerful and reliable rigs has definitely been a key factor in winning drilling projects in the area,” he says.

Lucky Joint’s HDD capabilities recently earned the company three contracts to install undersea pipelines from the Singapore shoreline for the Submarine Cable Link Companies. This project involved using the D80x120 to drill three separate bores seaward towards the punch-out points about 400 metres (1,312 feet) from the beach, each starting from a different point along the Singapore shoreline. The three bores formed part of the submarine connections for HDPE PN 16 160 mm (6 inch) diameter pipes, prior to installing fibre-optic cables.

Drilling began from the eastern part of Singapore. All the bores were at a minimum depth of 4 metres (13 feet) below the seabed. The lengths of 528 metres (1,732 feet), 284 metres (932 feet) and 450 metres (1,476 feet) were drilled to the respective punch-out points where the scope of Lucky joint’s work ends. Then under a separate contract, each bore was connected to an open trench where the pipes were joined by divers and linked to Batam Island.

Hard clay, tough challenge

Given the company’s experience and the high-quality Vermeer rig, it was no surprise the project went smoothly. Each bore and pull-back was completed in only nine days. But that is not to say it was an easy task. Lucky Joint’s team had to drill through a challenging mix of hard clay and sandy soil.

“We received the sea profile drawing and information on ground conditions from the client,” Yeow Kian Seng continues. “Due to the hard clay and sandy soil, we started to drill a pilot bore using a 95 mm (3.75 inch) mud motor with 133 mm (5.25 inch) step bit. Steering was achieved by tensor wire steering tools. After the pilot we used a 355 mm (14 inch) fluted reamer to open the hole, and a 305 mm (12 inch) fluted reamer to pull back.

“In these difficult ground conditions, choice of drill fluid can be critical. We used a boring gel during the pilot bore, and chose a polymer to provide an accurate and stable ream hole. Everything went according to plan, despite some initial slow progress on back reaming about 120 metres (394 feet) from the punch-in point, where we needed to change the drilling fluid ratio.”

Lucky Joint was the first company in Singapore to carry out an HDD project seawards, and since then has completed several major HDD contracts. This latest project is helping to expand the cable owners’ telecommunications infrastructure and once again shows the value of Lucky Joint’s investment in horizontal drilling equipment. Now, Batam Island benefits from the latest technology, while its popular shoreline remains completely unspoiled.