All-Oceans Engineering Limited and Sub-Atlantic Limited, both internationally acknowledged as leading companies in the ROV industry, have facilitated a substantial order from Subsea Resources Plc for a 6000m ROV system for the survey and recovery of valuable sunken cargo and treasure.

Sub-Atlantic’s 6000m innovative Comanche ROV was selected as it perfectly met the requirements designated by Subsea Resources. It then followed that All Oceans’ were the preferred partner to cover all aspects of the Launch and Recovery System (LARS) deign, manufacture and vessel integration.

All Oceans are an approved supplier of all types of umbilical handling systems and LARS to Sub-Atlantic and for Sub-Atlantic submersibles, whilst, All Oceans had worked with some of Subsea Resources’ key people on deep ocean studies and equipment evaluations several years ago.

All Oceans and Subsea Resources understand the many and not insignificant issues associated with launching, recovering and supporting what is not only a substantial equipment investment but also a tool fundamental tool for realising rewarding salvage operations.

The culmination of technical knowledge and expertise of All Oceans and Sub Atlantic, has resulted in this high profile successful sale. This unique business partnership is evidence that a strategic alliance of resources can result in a competitive edge within the subsea industry. It is also evidence that companies working primarily within the oil and Gas industry can successfully succeed out with traditional target markets.

For more information contact Brian Abel at All Oceans or Scott McLay at Sub-Atlantic.

Introducing the patented AC-ROV Concept Vehicle, a vision of the future ?

www.ac-cess.com

See AC-CESS, the AC-ROV and ALL OCEANS at OI 2004, Excel Centre, London, 16^th-19^th March, STAND No. 546

With more than 20 years experience in the detailed design of Winches and Marine Handling Equipment, All Oceans Engineering Limited have developed experience in the custom design and manufacture of a variety of Instrument cable winches. All winches are designed, built and tested in house at their facility on the outskirts of Aberdeen.

OPTIONS

• Electric, Hydraulic, Pneumatic or Manual Drive
• Multi-core Cable, Wire Rope or Fibre Rope
• Electrical, Optical, Slip Rings or Rotary Fluid Unions
• "Plug and Play" (no slip ring)
• Automatic or Powered Level Wind

ZERO MAINTENANCE

ALL OCEANS have more than a decade of experience in the design and manufacture of underwater winches and equipment. The marine market is now benefiting from this experience in that many winches are built in material combinations for no / low corrosion with dry / water lubricated bearings, sealed drives etc. Many solutions, like those shown, only need periodic visual inspection.

BONUS or PENALTY?

ALL OCEANS, have been designing and manufacturing underwater winches since 1991, delivered two more custom designed units to a local customer in June 2002

The requirement was one of those "time is of the essence" orders. Even so, ALL OCEANS accepted and delivered on time. Both systems were assembled, commissioned, tested and delivered inside 6 weeks, and yes, the paint was dry.

The programme was roughly 2 weeks design, 2 weeks manufacture, 2 weeks assemble, paint and test. Considering that no part of the winch design pre-existed, meant that there was no margin for error. In this respect, ALL OCEANS acknowledge the support of their many suppliers and workshop resources in helping to get this job out on time.

Although the "time is of the essence" term were accepted, the customer's proposed late delivery penalty was not.

At the risk of being controversial, ALL OCEANS add any penalty risk 100% to the bottom line price. Unless supply is totally controllable, such as a supply from stock, then penalties are very difficult to pass down a supply chain. So Customers, what about a Bonus option as opposed to a Penalty option?

• Is there a difference between a % BONUS rather than on a % PENALTY contract?
• Does one option have a different effect on attitudes and the progress of the work?
• How far can a Bonus option be passed down a supply chain compared with a Penalty?
• Would we feel different about a "Bonus" project even if the end price were the same as for a "Penalty" project?

For information, the two winches were rated to pull 8,000kg bottom wrap and handle up to 300m of 16mm steel wire rope. Level wind combined grooved drums and powered spooling.

Performance was maximised for the specified ROV hot-stab hydraulic supply and flow. Operating depth is in excess 3000msw.

FISH PEN and TANK INSPECTION SYSTEM

Do you have a test tank with equipment in it that you would like to check or inspect, but don't want to mobilise an ROV system or don't have one available ? Then the following tank inspection system may be what you need.

Developed and proven for handling pan and tilt camera units in salmon farm fish pens, the two-winch system is ideal for simple tank inspection work. A pan and tilt camera on its own can only be moved manually, however, using two winches they can be moved over the full width and depth of a pen or tank.

The pan and tilt camera is suspended on lines from the two winches. Operating the winches together or separately greatly increases the tank viewing options.

The problem that fish farms had was that they could only set their pan and tilt cameras a fixed depth and location within their fish pens.

Operators need to watch the fish feeding so that they can control the feed supply rate and in some cases the feed specification.

At the start of a feeding session, the fish are frantic at the surface, but as the session progresses, the fish move down and progressively more and more of them stop feeding.

The operator wants to control the feed supply rate by watching, not so much the fish, but the feed pellets to see how much is falling past the fish. Feed is expensive and the pellets are quite small, they also come in different "sink" rates.

With the winch system, the operator can follow the fish down or across the tank when a current is running. The objective is to keep feeding for as long as possible, whilst wasting as little feed as possible.

Since January 2003, ALL OCEANS have been researching, developing and testing materials and components that take underwater vehicle technology into new waters.

ALL OCEANS felt that existing small and "low cost" vehicle systems were not very deserving of the description. Most take the standard approach. Proven technology and techniques are scaled down to derive cost savings from batch production and compromises in quality.

In nearly 40 years of existence, only an elite few  submersible vehicles, across all capabilities, can be regarded as truly ground breaking.

Is this the next one............www.ac-cess.com

With more than 20 years experience in the detailed design of Launch and Recovery Systems (LARS), for ROVs, Diving Bells, manned submersibles, atmospheric diving suits, equipment packages etc; All Oceans Engineering Limited can now build customer solutions in-house.

The LARS shown is rated and certified for seastate 6 operations as a gravity base or sea-fastened system to handle payloads of 1500kg to depths of 1500msw.

The winch bolts directly to the skid and the unit construction hydraulic power pack saddles to the end of the winch without increasing its size.

The simple A-Frame has sufficient movement that it can be swung into a low profile stowage / transit position without recourse to cylinder disconnection or a need for any crane assist.

The system, complete with ROV and TMS, is a single lift package. The parking area for the ROV and TMS has been minimised because of the special provision for side removal of the ROV using the skid mounted knuckle boom crane. In this way the LARS footprint size is minimised (4m x 2.8m) and ROV maintenance can be carried out in a more sheltered environment away from the dangers of shipside working.

This is posibly the premier International Ocean and Underwater Technology Conference and Exhibition and as usual All Oceans will be there.

See us on Stand 546

The development of latching torque tools for ROVs came with the requirement to lift and carry docking type interfaces, such as
umbilical stab plates and jumpers, between lay-down or parking positions and their connections. Such connections are typically
made or released by the rotary drive provided by a torque tool, so it made sense to integrate a latching function into torque tools so that they could hold onto the portable part.

The large ROVs that perform these "lift and carry" operations employ their superior power to steady themselves and hold onto the work site using additional docking tools or manipulator arms. In most cases this is because the tools, let alone their latching function, is not strong enough to have a 1500 - 3000 kg ROV plus jumper assembly "hanging" off them.

These additional powerful functions are beyond the simultaneous capability of the smaller submersible or diver, but because the lightweight ALL OCEANS Torque Tool range was developed with special consideration of these user groups, it made sense to develop a combined latching and docking capability.

In other words, the ROV or diver does not need to hold the tool firmly in place once it is docked and latched. In fact the tool will stay latched on its own for as long as it is driven and for several seconds during drive reversal or after driving is stopped. The original "lift and carry" application has not been neglected either as the new latches have an exceptionally high load capability.

This simple approach opens up a range of deployment possibilities not previously available. The tool can be deployed independently for floating into place by the smallest of ROV. It could be placed and left whilst the submersible or diver carries out other tasks.

Systems can be electric or hydraulic powered. There are various simple control options available for the standard tool, through to a high integrity PC based intelligent control systems for the instrumented tool.

Based at Southampton Oceanography Centre, the ROV will also be available for use by researchers from across the UK, as part of the marine science technology pool.

Professor Priede of the Department of Zoology, University of Aberdeen said: 'This is a long overdue development that will greatly
enhance the ability of researchers in British Universities to make direct observations, retrieve samples and carry out experiments in deep water. There are areas of the continental slope which are too steep to be surveyed by conventional towed gear and nets. They are no go areas in which we know important species of fish are likely to spawn and rear their young. The ROV will make these areas accessible for the first time.'

The Tether Management System for the project is to be supplied by ALL OCEANS Engineering Limited of Aberdeen, who are obviously delighted to be involved in such a prestigious British project.

Function testing of the TMS is scheduled to take place in Aberdeen in the last quarter of 2002. 0nce complete it will be despatched for ROV and Launch and Recovery System integration and testing. The first sea trials are understood to be scheduled for the second quarter 2003.

The SOC web site has more details and information about the Project including technical specifications of some of the hardware. www.soc.soton.ac.uk/OED/ROV/index.php

The large range of various TMS building block components that ALL OCEANS have developed over the years allowed a near proven solution to be offered to the Project.

This was a major advantage when it is appreciated that what the Project called for was a TMS not much bigger, or heavier than what would normally be used with an "Inspection" class ROV, but with a load rating appropriate to a heavy "Work" class ROV.

The winch module is one of the smaller units in the All Oceans' range and will provide 260m minimum ROV excursion on the Project supplied special tether cable.

The TMS is rated for a maximum 4000kg ROV and has a proof load rating of 12,000kg but in air will weigh less than 1000kg.

Some lateral thinking and a trip to the hardware store had the concept sorted out on Friday afternoon and built on Saturday
morning. Some customer refinements were incorporated Monday morning and then the assembled solution was load and function tested.

The assembled davit and dismantling procedure was then photographed for incorporation into an Operating Manual.

The hardware was loaded out with the rest of the ROV system in the mobile control van (Mercedes Vito) for the long drive to Italy.
The software (Manual) was emailed to site on Tuesday.

The arrangement is rated to launch and recover a 60kg payload with a 2m overhang. The static and function test load was 150kg (2.5g)

The system was designed to operate with a 15m long lift wire permanently attached to the ROV and tapped back along the umbilical. On ROV recovery, the operator takes the rope end off the umbilical and feeds it over the sheave and clips it to the hand winch. Once the ROV is lifted high enough, the davit is pivoted round to the ROV landing area.

The davit can also be used with an ROV latch. This allows the lift wire to stay permanently attached to the winch and reduce launch and recovery time.

• Do you have cable or rope spooling problems ?
• Are you spending a lot of money on replacing damaged cable or rope ?
• Is your winch capacity compromised because the cable or rope miss-spools ?

If your answer is YES to some or all of the above then perhaps you need a properly engineered level wind.

All Oceans have been designing and manufacturing high integrity level wind systems for use on underwater winches for many years. These units have to work right every time and all the time as there is no intervention option available to compensate for any failings. This experience is now available as a complete "design and build" service to the wider winch market. Solutions include;

• Upgrade for winches not originally designed for level wind
• Copy systems to replace worn or obsolete systems
• Enhanced retro-fits to replace systems with historical failings

The solution is customer driven in that it increases the opportunity for much smaller and lighter ROVs to support types of underwater intervention previously the reserve of Work Class ROVs.

With the tool installed on an ROV with the highly visible turns indicator and pressure gauges within the range of a camera, the
user will have all that is required to monitor, control and log a rotary function to their or third party satisfaction.

Developed in conjunction with the tool is a submersible power unit that can be electric or hydraulic driven. Both types come with full range adjustable torque limiters as standard. The tool and power packs are compatible with both mineral and water based hydraulic fluids.

Testing has demonstrated performance well beyond expectations with exceptional Low Torque control;
100 Nm / 74 ft.lbs within 5% repeatability, higher than expected High Torque outputs; more than 1500 Nm with the same repeatability.

The tool and auxiliary equipment is available for demonstration, hire or purchase. Contact Brian at ALL OCEANS on 01224 791001

The tool is built around a specially developed lightweight motor. There is no gearbox and the motor can develop the full torque direct. The improved efficiency of a direct drive arrangement should give improved low torque characteristics (yet to be tested).

Another feature of the motor is that it is hollow. What this means is that the shaft that adapts for actuator drive can pass right through the motor. An indicator plate attached to the outboard end of the shaft helps viewing of even the smallest shaft movement.

The tool, will be available in two formats. In the basic form, it needs no more than a video camera to watch the shaft turning and pressure gauges to determine what the tool is doing. In the "instrumented" form an integral rotary torque transducer (the real thing and not a pressure transducer) and turns sensor can be interfaced to the host ROV for more advanced control and data logging.

Scheduled to be ready for shop testing by the end of July. The first basic tool will be of Class 3 rating (1000 ft.lbs / 1350 Nm) and have an in air weight of less than 15kg.

Please contact Brian Abel on 44 (0)1224 791001 or brian@alloceans.co.uk to register your interest and for more information.

There is a new 3 litre model, the PC3000, and a new 6 litre circulating reservoir model, the PC6000. These compliment the existing single PC1800 and reservoir PC3600 models.

Both of the reservoir models have two ports (1" BSPP) in the central body section, each connected to opposing end diaphragms and designated "supply" and "return". A link port between the ends, means that the oil has to circulate through t he reservoir before it goes back to supply - useful in compensated hydraulic systems where some reservoir residency time is a benefit to the life of the system and oil.

Further to customer feedback, the volumes of the existing and new models has been re-evaluated. It has always been possible to remove the bias springs for balanced pressure operations without loss of compensating fluid. However, All Oceans had never considered leaving the piston, or the even the piston and end cap off when this was done. It was pointed out to them that this increases the fluid capacity.

The PC440 for example will hold 0.63 litres, an increase of 40% The PC1800 will hold 4.0 litres, an increase of 105%

WARNING - Without the piston, or the piston and end cap in place, the Safe Working Pressure (SWP) of the compensator is reduced.

Maximum working pressure is reduced from 3.45 bar (50psi) to just 0.344 bar (5psi). This is because the diaphragm is no longer fully supported by the piston and end cap. This will not be problem provided users fit properly sized and rated pressure limiting devices (eg; relief valves) to their systems adjacent to the compensator connection.

It is worth noting that the widely used horticultural type charging bottles can easily develop pressures up to 3.45 bar (50psi), in which case, pressure protection should be provided in all situations where this could rupture or otherwise damage seals, housings cables etc.

The PC440 (440cc) continues to be the best seller. At just under a pint in volume, it is still the best value unit in the market, ££ / cc.

The umbilical winch and power pack system shown was supplied and integrated into the new build multi-function ROV and Diving Support vessel "Skandi Patagonia" along with a custom designed gantry crane, snubber assembly and TMS late last year.

The company has supplied a lot of Tether Management Systems (TMS) to ROV manufacturers and operators world wide and are finding that more and more customers appreciate the benefits of combining TMS and LARS procurement.

All Oceans are the only company in the world to offer a full range of TMS and TMS building block products. These suit all classes of ROV and submersible. They have been value engineered in direct response to user needs and as such are the only TMS product that is not ROV or Cable specific.

Similarly, a LARS becomes a better investment the less ROV or Cable specific it is, in which case All Oceans are more focused than most on this aspect. As with TMS, the need is for improved LARS Usability, Reliability, Serviceability and Flexibility.

Handling system design has been a big part of All Oceans' business since their start-up in 1985. Managing Director, Brian Abel, states; "The TMS product range has us at the forefront of underwater mechanical handling technology. By working closely with the same customer base we can value engineer LARS needs into the future. We have been at the forefront of LARS design for so many years it makes sense to develop complete LARS packages through build, integration and service. As long as there is equipment to be moved there will be mechanical handling challenges and All Oceans will be there for their customers.

All Oceans and Argus worked closely with the Norwegian customer to supply a fully vessel integrated system that would support the saturation diving and well work-over facilities and be a stand along ROV capability suited to the harsh environment of the South Atlantic.

The all electric and field proven TMS option that has been available from All Oceans for many years now combines well to make a very capable and compact all electric ROV package.

ARGUS complimented All Oceans on the simplicity, ease of operation, integration and service aspects of the TMS. This is the third All Oceans TMS that has been married to an Argus ROV and their experience is that they just keep on getting better.

Also part of All Oceans supply was the umbilical winch, electro-hydraulic power pack, local and remote controls for the winch and crane, and the TMS to crane load latch. All of the equipment was designed, assembled and tested in Aberdeen at All Oceans works, prior to shipment and installation on the vessel in Norway mid November.

Acceptance trials went very well. A number of hitch free trial dives were carried out to prove the various systems before the final test of rigging a lift line to the diving bell was done. This emergency intervention capability was identified early on in the project and has an importance associated with the level of diving support capability in Argentina.

In a matter of minutes, the ROV was in the water unlatched from the TMS, had located and picked up on the crane wire and hook, then located the bell and the emergency lift sling. Then, in only two attempts it had safely hooked the bell lift sling. The 10Te bell was then cross-hauled to the vessel deck all without incident.

The ease and precision with which the operation and other manoeuvres was carried out is testament to a very capable and well designed ROV system.

With their experience in winch design and manufacture, All Oceans were approached to design a replacement level wind for a winch in Russia.

Original level wind details were not available so the new one had to be designed from some general site dimensions and photographs.

The new unit has been changed out for the old unit - just in time - with minimal interruption to operations.
The design concept is easily adaptable for other winches where the operator controls the umbilical or cable spooling. Other designs for automatic level wind are also available.

The combination of the need for a short cable run coupled with budgetary constraints, meant that a Tether Management System (TMS) as typically used in support of ROV operations was not viable. By working closely with the customer, All Oceans were able to devise a custom-made, cost effective solution. Cable management is about control, and control is about getting something to be where you want, to do what you want when you want. This is particularly true of underwater systems where operator intervention is limited or impossible.

In all situations involving the handling of rope, cable, tether, hose or any similar flexible element the key to effective "management" or control is knowledge and understanding of the cable. Of equal importance is an understanding of the application and the performance requirements. From such a position it is possible to develop a suitable cable management solution. In many cases the solution will be a drum type winch, but this is not always the case and should not be pre supposed.
In addition to the two specialist winches, All Oceans also supplied the same project with 4 off 22kw submersible electro / hydraulic power packs and 4 off 100 litre positive pressure compensators.

This is the third underwater vehicle tether management system delivered by All Oceans which incorporates the now well proven TMW250 winch module. The flexibility of the TMW250 module makes it suitable for configuration with all types of TMS, be they top-hat or garage systems. The winch module can be mounted in any attitude and provides a simple mechanical system which is field adjustable for a wide range of tether diameters from 8 - 25mm and provides a drum capacity for 150m of tether, although much longer excursion capabilities can be provided. The simple mechanical design has a single direct drive point which can be either electrical or hydraulic.

Delighted with their purchase, a senior Dolphin supervisor working with the Argus, said, "The TMS is very easy to work on. The layout of components makes it very service friendly. I have a good feeling about this TMS, and I see it as a good alternative for small ROVs". As part of their continuous development of underwater mechanical handling and engineering solutions, All Oceans have incorporated these design principles into several underwater winch applications; such as instrumentation, pull-in, pull-down, and rigging. All systems have provided snag-free and consistent operation.

Past experience in not being able to control heavy subsea loads lifted on a single lift wire led a local company to look for an underwater swivel that could be expected to last repeated use to 600 metres for many years.

Their enquiries for an underwater swivel turned up several offers of standard units which their makers stated were suitable for use underwater. However experience told them that such units would at best only work for a couple of "dives" before requiring major overhaul. They also knew that overhauling a screwed together steel swivel weighing about 2 tonne was not a quick bench job.

All Oceans reviewed the design of existing swivels but felt that the only practical solution was to design a swivel from scratch and because the swivel was big, it was possible to integrate the standard All Oceans pressure compensator inside. The end result being a simple design with integral pressure compensation and no sticking out bits vulnerable to rigging attachments. Another benefit is that the end fittings can be changed so that the swivel can be used for different sizes and types of rigging attachment.

Handling loads from the surface to the seabed is typically done on a single wire because a multi-fall system twists up on itself in a relatively short distance. However, a single wire rope twists one way or the other as load is applied to it which in turn rotates the load. Fitting a swivel allows the rope to twist with little turning effect on the load, or inversely, the load is much easier to turn.