Influence of Seabed Topography on Arabian Gulf Submarine Power Cable’s On-Bottom Performance

Subsea cables for offshore oil and gas infrastructure, power transmission, and communication networks in the Gulf region provide unique engineering problems, especially in rocky seabed locations. Subsea cable design and stability evaluation rarely have codified frameworks like DNV-ST-F101(1), DNV-RP-F109(2), and British Standards for subsea pipelines. Due to this, pipeline-centric methods may not fully handle the mechanical behavior and stability requirements of flexible, lightweight cable systems. Waves and current loading make cable bottom stability and roughness difficult. The significant mechanical difference between cables and rigid pipelines has been discussed. Due to the small weight and complex fluid cable-soil interaction, determining the cable submerged weight needed for dynamic lateral stability is difficult. A proposed 2.257 km subsea power line was tested for on-bottom performance by considering seabed topography. The suggested route anticipates a rocky and cemented seafloor. To keep the cable under limit states, secondary stabilizations are suggested. Cable spanning behavior has been researched to reveal instability, and mitigating strategies have been offered to correct overstretching. The rocky bottom causes excessive local contact forces that must be addressed before laying. We seek to start a discourse in the offshore energy community to argue for cable-specific design regulations, especially in the Gulf's harsh and irregular seabed conditions. The given insights and methods should make subsea cable installations safer, more efficient, and code-compliant, meeting the Middle East's growing demand for robust infrastructure.