The equipment set, bound for operations in Brazil, was the second of a pair to be supplied, with the twin set being completed 12 months prior at the close of 2023.

TIS Umbilical Reelers are designed to deploy and recover any length and diameter of umbilical product, with suitable controls to facilitate multiple hydraulic, chemical, electrical and fibre optic power and signal cores.

These Umbilical Reelers (TU-A-1062), certified in compliance with DNV-ST-E273 and CE ATEX Zone 1, were purpose built to suit the client specified umbilical’s cores comprised of seven hydraulic lines, one chemical line, and two cables (each with seven conductors). This umbilical is a standard configuration used for the client’s proprietary 3” electro-hydraulic landing string, typically deployed as part of a system for subsea exploration and appraisal operations.

The units incorporated several features to protect both the umbilical and the operator. A traverse spooling head sub-assembly was designed specifically to suit the umbilical OD, with two stainless steel endless screws synchronising the distance the spooling head travels per rotation of the reel to provide perfect even wraps to the drum. An inverted arch sheave on the top of the spooling head uses rollers to ensure that the umbilical does not exceed its bend radius if spooling off at a steep incline. A large marine duty disc brake with fully adjustable braking force allows line pull value to be set so that the reel will slip to protect the safe working load of the umbilical. The design houses an 8-pass hydraulic slipring and multi-pass electric slipring to allow for live signals on all umbilical lines while the drum is rotating during deployment.

A portable remote station with 15m long jumper to allows the operator to be located in a safe and practical location when controlling the reeler. Remote and local ESDs will cut pneumatic supply to the reeler drive system, while all maintenance access doors have automatic cut-out switches to protect the personnel.

The Umbilical Arch Sheaves (SH-A-1042-1) were designed to match the minimum bend radius of the umbilical, with rollers machined to match outer diameter, both measures to prolong the lifespan of the umbilical. Spring loaded fixtures provide a quick release function for the umbilical and a hinge section on the lift point allows for the umbilical to loaded or removed while the sheave is suspended.