Figure 57 Cable on carrousel, courtesy of RWE.
Function
The cable-handling equipment ensures that the cable is safely deployed from the vessel to the sea bed.
What it costs*
The equipment is usually provided by the cable installation contractor; in that case, it is either part of the vessel or can be rented.
Who supplies them
Cable-handling equipment is usually provided by the cable installation contractor; in that case, it is either part of the vessel or must be mobilised.
Manufacturers: Fraser Hydraulic Power, Hulst Cable Equipment, Royal IHC, MacArtney SMD, Oceaneering and Sparrows.
Rental: Caley Ocean Systems, CWind (Global Marine Group), Demanor, Drammen Yard, Oceaneering, Osbit, RentOcean and Sparrows.
Key facts
Cable handling equipment is designed to protect the cable’s integrity and to ensure the cable is deployed in a controlled manner and at the correct speed.
The cable is stored either on a carousel, in a static tank or on a reel. To exit the storage area, a tensioner is used to grip and move the cable toward the chute where the cable is deployed onto the sea bed whilst ensuring no bending at less than the minimum allowed bend radius.
During a second-end pull-in or pull-in at the substation, a quadrant is used to deploy the end of the cable on the sea bed before it is pulled in.
What’s in it
- Cable storage: carousel, tank or reel
- Cable lay equipment: tensioners, cable highway (rollers), chute and quadrant