Subsea Cables

No two subsea projects are identical. Water depth, deployment method, equipment interfaces, electrical services, mechanical loads and expected operating life can all influence the optimum cable architecture.

Fibron's subsea cable design engineers can work with customers from an early stage to establish the required electrical, optical and mechanical performance before developing a practical construction.

Power conductors, screened pairs, coaxial components, fibre optics, strength members, fillers and protective layers can be combined according to the application. Materials are selected around factors including pressure, temperature, seawater, abrasion, chemical exposure and dynamic fatigue.

Early collaboration also enables the cable to be considered alongside connectors, mechanical terminations, bend protection, reels, winches and deployment equipment, helping optimise the complete subsea system.

Modern subsea equipment frequently requires several services to pass through a single connection. Combining them within one cable can reduce diameter, weight, drag, connection points and handling complexity.

Fibron designs electro-optical cables capable of integrating power conductors, screened signals, data pairs, coaxial elements and fibre optics within compact, mechanically robust constructions.

This approach is particularly valuable for ROVs, subsea vehicles, sensors, monitoring systems and specialist offshore equipment where space and weight are limited.

Where several functions are required simultaneously, our dedicated composite cable capability allows the complete electrical, optical and mechanical package to be developed as one engineered system.

Where the cable forms part of the mechanical load path, tensile strength and armour design become critical.

Fibron has extensive experience with steel-wire armouring and high-performance fibre reinforcement for demanding subsea cables. The strength package can be engineered to provide the required tensile capacity and protection while managing cable diameter, weight, flexibility, torque and rotation.

Applications range from ROV main lift cables to armoured tow and lead-in cables, subsea machinery and specialist defence systems.

Mechanical terminations, clamps, sheaves, winches and deployment loads can all be considered during the design process so that the cable functions as part of the complete handling system.

Many subsea developments begin with a cable requirement that has never previously existed. Producing a prototype or short qualification length allows the design to be evaluated before committing to full production.

Fibron's prototype cable and umbilical capability is particularly suited to one-offs, demonstrators, qualification lengths and small production quantities.

Alternative conductor arrangements, strength systems, materials, buoyancy characteristics, diameters and termination interfaces can be manufactured and evaluated before the final design is released.

Because design, manufacture and testing can all be coordinated through Fibron, lessons from prototype testing can feed directly back into the engineering process.

For mission-critical subsea equipment, cable performance needs to be demonstrated as well as designed.

Fibron's in-house testing and qualification facilities allow mechanical, electrical and optical characteristics to be assessed against the requirements of the application.

Depending on the cable and qualification programme, testing may include tensile and break-load testing, cyclic bend or bend-over-sheave testing, torque and rotation measurement, crush and clamp testing, bend-stiffness assessment, electrical verification and optical continuity or attenuation testing.

Qualification programmes can be developed around recognised subsea standards or customer-specific requirements, with project-specific inspection and test plans and factory acceptance documentation where required.