A major Dutch shipping company recently brought a new type of offshore vessel into service. Amongst other things, the ship replenishes drilling rigs and platforms used for building offshore wind farms, for which 60m long 2” internal diameter floating hoses are used. The shipping company wanted a durable and reliable solution for the safe and efficient winding of these hoses. Our experts developed a new type of hose reel that meets all of the offshore requirements.
ATEX
The fact that this replenishing ship also transfers methanol via these hoses meant an extra challenge for our people. For example, the entire reel had to be suitable for use in an explosion-risk environment and the entire installation therefore had to meet the ATEX Guideline – a requirement that we incorporated in the design.
Special hose guide
A reliable, powerful and accurate hydraulic drive was chosen. To ensure that the hose is distributed evenly across the drum our experts developed a special hose guide. This allows the hose to be distributed efficiently across the drum which means the installation is relatively compact. A special corrosion-resistant layer was applied to the entire reel so it can brave the elements at sea, as a result of which the requirement for a durable solution could also be met.
Safety couplings
The floating hoses used are our IVG-branded PL Float type. These hoses are equipped with Dry Break safety couplings from the well-known firm Todo. When being connected and disconnected there are virtually no liquid leaks from these couplings, which improves safety for the crew on board and prevents harmful liquids from leaking into the environment. When the pulling force on the hose exceeds the safe limit the Marine Break Away couplings from the firm Klaw (UK) ensure safe disconnection of the hose with negligible leakage.
Certified
This special reel has been successfully certified by Bureau Veritas.
Watch our video on Hose reel for deploying self floating hoses offshore:
