Container system for seismic cable and stations

A method for loading and/or unloading of a seismic cable, comprising seismic stations and/or couplers/splices and/or other discontinuities, on top of and/or from top of a container system adapted for use in storage, transportation, deployment and/or retrieval of at least one seismic cable, the container system comprising a container being a standard 20′ or 40′ ISO container having an open top side or a detachable topside wall, the container system comprising at least two coiling elements for spooling seismic cable around them in a non-figure-8 pattern, each of said coiling elements having one end attached to a bottom side of the container, and storage device for allocating or accommodating, in an ordered arrangement, seismic stations and/or couplers/splices and/or other discontinuities of the seismic cable said storage device being arranged between said at least two coiling elements and attached to the bottom side of the container, wherein the method comprises the following steps:

• loading/unloading the seismic cable around a first coiling element and through either storage device means when the respective cable length has a seismic station and/or coupler/splice and/or other discontinuity or at least one free space or room when the respective cable length does not have a seismic station and/or coupler/splice and/or other discontinuity, and around a second coiling element and back either through the storage device means when the respective cable length has a seismic station and/or coupler/splice and/or other discontinuity or through the free space or room when the respective cable length does not have a seismic station and/or coupler/splice and/or other discontinuity, and further around the first coiling element.

A method of storing a seismic cable, comprising the steps of:

• providing a seismic cable array which comprises a number of seismic stations and/or couplers/splices and/or other discontinuities;
• and
• arranging said array in a container system, wherein the system comprises a container, said container being a standard 20′ or 40′ ISO container having an open top side or a detachable topside wall, and at least two coiling elements each having one end attached to a bottom side of the container and being adapted for spooling or coiling of the seismic cable array around them and storage device being adapted for allocating or accommodating, in an ordered arrangement, at least one of:
• a number of seismic stations, a number of couplers/splices and a number of other discontinuities which are being interconnected by sections of the seismic cable;
• wherein said storage device is being arranged between said at least two coiling elements and attached to the bottom side of the container.