US 5,488,920 AGranted

Device for handling of cables on seismic vessels

AssigneeGeco A/S

InventorEinar Gjestrum

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Abstract

A device to facilitate the handling, maintenance and replacement of seismic equipment and seismic energy sources in the gun arrangement section, i.e. the gun array of seismic gun cables on seismic survey vessels, on the vessel's after deck (1) by which the gun cables are transferred, with the arrays stored on the deck hanging in suspension rails (6), wherein the cable is wound up on to a number of drums (3) and deployed or recovered from the water over a slip (4) at the after end of the ship. On the deck there are also winch drums (5) for streamer cables. The gun cable drums (3) are placed in a row alongside one another athwartships. Also provided is a row of parallel tracks (6), suspended on rails which can be moved in a crosswise direction. The ends of the rails or tracks (6) are equipped with devices whereby they can be connected to transfer tracks (7) on the slip (4). The gun arrays in their tracks (6) can be moved athwartships, thus providing more working space and allowing better use to be made of the area available on the after deck.

Claims13

Dependent claims

In a device on a work and after deck of a seismic vessel for handling cables having seismic gun arrangement sections, including gun arrays and gun cables, said gun cables being transferred and stored on the deck of the vessel, suspension rails on which said gun cables are supported, winding drums on which said gun cables are wound, a slip for deployment and recovery of said gun cables into and out of the water, and winch drums for streamer cables on said deck, the improvement comprising:

a plurality of cable-winding drums disposed alongside each other for rotation on parallel axes extending in a transverse direction athwartships;
a plurality of transverse support rails mounted on said vessel in said transverse direction in spaced relationship;
gun cable support means movably mounted on said transverse rails for supporting and guiding said gun cables in a plurality of parallel tracks movable in said transverse direction;
transfer tracks mounted on said slip for transferring said gun cables and gun arrays thereon during said deployment and recovery of said cables into and out of the water;
and
ends on said gun cable support means adjacent said transfer tracks.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.