MDL horizontal lay system was used for the overside installation of power cables in the Liuhua field, South China Sea.
The MDL HLS mobilised with TTS-4/310 series tensioner, complete with steel pads for safe and controlled handling of the umbilical.
Prior to the APAC mission the vessel had travelled to the Gulf of Mexico to transpool the product. At this time, an MDL superintendent operated the tensioner to carry out squeeze tests on a product sample.
Other features on the MDL HLS include a 4.5m overboarding chute; 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, mountable in two half-moon sections, to further facilitate safe jewellery handling. In addition, HLS work platform integrated a tulip to protect the integrity of the product during deployment.
MDL’s in-house team for the project engineered and manufactured the hang-off plate and the tulip.
As a result, it allowed safe vertical deployment of the product, with a compact footprint and minimum mobilisation requirements.
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Andrew Blaquiere, MDL managing director, said: “Our flex-lay expertise and innovative technology truly came to the fore in this project – a first of its kind for MDL in China.
“The HLS provided the client with a compact yet versatile solution for vertical product deployment on a vessel not equipped in a VLS. We also ensured that the tensioner was mobilised with steel pads for the operation, based on our knowledge and prior experience of handling this specific product.
“Our PM&E expertise, technical skillset and proven track record in pipelay allow us to minimise client interfaces and streamline costs by delivering complete support packages, from project planning through execution, to follow-on campaigns. “