In 2001 Fibron was approached by a major seismic contractor to develop the next generation of armoured Lead-In cable with the aim to reduce the diameter significantly whilst maintaining the required tensile strength and electrical/optical fatigue performance. Using thin wall insulation technology for the electrical cores, steel tube fibre optics, and a high tensile steel armour package, we reduced the diameter by 27%.
This was a substantial improvement upon the existing design, and which had a real impact on the performance of the vessel, by reducing the overall in water drag characteristics, resulting in lower fuel consumption; and allowing operation in shallower waters, as the cable catenary is considerably less. In addition, seismic vessels need to tow many streamers, to be as efficient as possible, and this is a key differentiator for efficient collection of high-quality seismic data and operational efficiency such as fuel consumption. This requires wide tow angles and higher towing forces, putting additional strain on the Lead-In cable.
Fibron’s product has survived very well in these arduous conditions, and with hundreds of kilometres of this cable deployed, Fibron’s Armoured Lead-In Cable product is now the standard design and sets the global standard for lead-in cables.
