Fendercare's New Offshore Pipe-Laying Solution

Fendercare Marine launch a new range of piggyback saddles to assist pipeline installation in the offshore industry.

Piggyback saddles - alongside clamps and spacers - can act as a shaped interface between a pipeline and a cylindrical buoyancy tank, to ensure the tank rides comfortably and safely on top of the pipeline during the laying operation.  They can also act as separators during parallel lay installations and are most frequently used when smaller secondary umbilicals or pipelines need to run along the top of the main pipeline in piggyback formation.

The new piggyback saddles are made of polyurethane elastomer, a highly flexible, low friction material which Fendercare Marine has extensive experience of using in the design and supply of products to the offshore industry. This material is recognised as the best for such installation aids, as it is easily mouldable, neutrally buoyant in seawater, easily installed on deck and well suited to long-term subsea deployment without the risk of degradation of material.

Fendercare Marine, currently celebrating 25 years of trading, is offering the piggyback saddles as a bespoke solution to individual project requirements. From design and analysis through manufacture and testing to supply, there is a choice of banding materials such as Monel, Inconel, Carbon Steel, Titanium or others as demanded by project requirements, together with a supply of banding installation tools.

Offshore Business Development Manager Chris Sparrow said “We are delighted that we’re now able to offer a consultative, best-in-class solution within this area of the pipelaying operation.  The demand for this product has already exceeded our expectations, with orders already coming in fast.  This product is a natural extension of our development over the past few years of some unique and highly advantageous materials for the construction of pipelaying buoyancy modules.  When you factor in the diving and ROV services offered by Fendercare Marine and the Hydrodigger mass flow excavation system developed by our colleagues at Fisher Offshore then it is clear that we have a very compelling suite of subsea products and services on offer to all those engaged in pipelaying operations and subsequent IRM work on those pipelines.”