Cable installation offshore China

The client was tasked with installing an umbilical offshore China. The challenge was two-fold: firstly, handling a product that was unique in its composition and therefore requiring a longer track contact length; secondly, installation of buoyancy modules onto the product off a vessel of opportunity not equipped in a VLS...

For this job MDL supplied its portable and compact Horizontal Lay System (HLS), together with its unique TTS-4/310 Series Tensioner - a powerful system with 5m track contract length and Failsafe Grip technology. The tensioner had been mobilised with steel pads for safe and controlled handling of the umbilical, based on MDL's knowledge and prior experience of handling this specific product. Prior to the mission in Asia Pacific, the vessel had travelled to the Gulf of Mexico to transpool the product onto the on-board carousel. At this time, an MDL Superintendent operated the tensioner to carry out squeeze tests on a product sample.

For this project, the MDL HLS included pivoting davit arms for efficient and safe handling of buoyancy modules; a retractable work platform for ease of passing of midline connections; and a retractable hang-off clamp. The clamp was complete with an adaptor hang-off plate, easily mountable in two half-moon sections, to further facilitate safe jewellery handling. To protect the integrity of the product during deployment, a tulip was integrated into the HLS work platform. The hang-off plate and the tulip were both engineered and manufactured by MDL’s in-house team for the project. The integration of these time-saving features into the HLS structure result in a system allowing safe vertical deployment of the product, while keeping the footprint of the solution compact and mobilisation requirements and operator numbers to a minimum.