Cortland, a global heavy lift and rope slings specialist, has launched a new load transfer hook, specifically designed for the oil and gas and marine markets, at OTC in Houston.
The patented Selantic® Hook, first developed for a major operator in the Gulf of Mexico, is compatible with synthetic fiber slings and will be used for load transfer and pull-in operations where a compact rigging assembly is necessary.
Transferring subsea loads, such as risers, manifolds or flowlines, from pipelay and construction vessels to floating structures such as FPSOs over deep water is consistently a major logistical challenge, demanding versatile equipment and accurate techniques.
Use of the hook became a key differentiator at one of the world’s deepest subsea production sites offshore USA. It was used with a custom fiber-fiber hook and combined with Selantic® fiber slings, reducing the length of the total working assembly. It was also designed to be low snag and narrow for efficient operation through an FPSO i-tube.
Brooks Nunley, Key Account Manager, Cortland, said: “Effective subsea hardware is an essential part of using highly-engineered synthetic slings for safe and efficient deployment and recovery of heavy structures. We recognized the need to develop a new load transfer hook compatible with our high capacity, compact Selantic® slings. We’re pleased to be able to showcase it to key customers while at OTC.
“As subsea technology develops and is used in deeper water, there’s a real need for product evolution and improvements to installation methods. We regularly develop new hardware components that can interface with our sling, tether and rope systems when we see project specific requirements.
Selantic slings are known in industry as a cost-effective and light-weight alternative to heavy chains and wire rope. They can be handled safely by personnel without the need for power driven assistance.
In combination with hardware products, the slings will be used for the transfer of any equipment loads destined for subsea, including Pipeline End Termination (PLET) and Pipeline End Manifold (PLEM) infrastructure systems.
Constructed from high performance fibers, they are up to eight times as strong, weight for weight, as wire rope. The slings can be fabricated to tight tolerances and to break-strengths above 2000 tons.
