TPT March 2016

I NDUS T RY

Contract for two 500-tonne under-rollers SPARROWS Group, and its cable and pipe-lay solutions (CPLS) division, reinforced its footprint in the USA after being awarded a contract byOceaneering International, Inc, a global provider of engineered services and products to the offshore oil and gas industry, to design and manufacture two 500-tonne powered and jack-able under-rollers.

Group in that not only are the under- rollers believed to be the first of the design and capacity in the marketplace but it underlines the added value we bring through our integrated services, responsiveness and after-care support.” The complete under-roller unit, when attached to a set of cradles, can be lifted via four lifting points. With packing structures for differing reel diameters the system can be used for different reel cradles. This enables the unit to be versatile in terms of the reel dimensions it can be used with. Both the drive and idler units can be moved to the location of the reel and cradles. The units can then be fastened to the cradles and, with the use of hydraulic cylinders, the idler wheels can push against and under the reel, effectively lifting the reel off the cradle. Sparrows Group – UK Website: www.sparrowsgroup.com Oceaneering International, Inc – USA Website: www.oceaneering.com

The new under-roller system, through its versatility and mobility, offers a wide range of benefits. Suitable for use with reels of up to 11.4m outer diameter, it provides up to 10 tonnes of line pull at the outer reel diameter, which is particularly beneficial for steel-tubed umbilicals – a more rigid product that requires greater effort to spool around the reel. Key to Sparrows Group securing the contract was the company’s in-house engineering expertise and facilities in Aberdeen, UK, where the under-rollers are to be designed and manufactured before undergoing testing. The under-rollers will then be delivered to Oceaneering in Panama City, Florida,

Sparrows Group’s under-roller

USA, where Sparrows Group will perform the assembly and site acceptance testing. Local after-care support for the under-rollers will be supplied by Sparrows Group’s service centre in Slidell, Louisiana, where the company has a number of specialist technicians with the capability to maintain and repair this type of equipment. Sparrows Group CEO Stewart Mitchell commented, “This contract award marks a significant milestone for Sparrows

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M arch 2016