About Dimension
Dimension Consultants Pte Ltd was incorporated in 2012 and has been growing steadily ever since. Our offshore engineering team has successfully delivered cable lay, transpooling and subsea installation packages for clients across the renewable, oil & gas and telecom sectors. The Dimension Traversing Spooler is engineered to handle the most demanding subsea products — from heavy HV submarine cable to slender offshore umbilicals — with one carefully-machined platform.
Overview
Product Description
The Dimension Traversing Spooler is a deck-mounted product feed system designed for top-loading underdeck cable carousels. Each spooler comprises a deck-bolted rail foundation, a rack-and-pinion traverse carriage and a product guide chute fitted with integrated low-friction rollers. The system is electrically driven through a VFD-controlled gearmotor, with the spooler PLC slaved to the carousel control loop — traverse position, carousel rotation and product feed remain synchronised in real time, eliminating operator hand-off.
The chute is machined and polished to a smooth surface finish suitable for both heavy submarine cable and offshore umbilicals. The reversible drive supports multi-directional operation across pay-on, pay-off and re-spool campaigns. In an emergency stop, the chute geometry absorbs slack, protecting the product and preserving the lay pattern.
Highlights
Key Feature Highlights
Integrated Rollers
Product guide chute fitted with low-friction LUC rollers — distributes contact load across the bend, eliminating point pressure and protecting the cable jacket through the full traverse stroke.
Smooth Surface Finish
Machined-and-polished chute and roller liners — engineered for both high-voltage subsea cable and offshore umbilicals, including those with sensitive polymer outer sheaths.
Multi-Directional Operation
Reversible rack-and-pinion traverse with VFD-controlled gearmotor — bidirectional spooling for pay-on, pay-off and re-spool campaigns; carousel rotation can run in either direction.
Features
- Rack-and-pinion traverse carriage over the carousel hatch — 5,700 mm spooler stroke
- Integrated guide chute with low-friction LUC rollers — distributes contact load across the cable bend
- Machined-and-polished chute surface — smooth finish protects cable jackets and umbilical sheaths
- Reversible VFD electric drive — multi-directional operation (pay-on / pay-off / re-spool)
- Spooler PLC integrated with carousel PLC — synchronous traverse and rotation
- Slack absorption envelope built into chute geometry — safe emergency stop
- Rails bolted to deck — modular foundation, demountable carriage for class survey
- Local diagnostic interface plus remote operation from cable-lay control room
- Coatings: foundation RAL 6005 Moss Green; carriage RAL 5017 Blue / RAL 3020 Red
Suitable Products
- HV / EHV submarine power cable (HVAC, HVDC)
- Cable diameters and stiffness across the typical lay-vessel envelope
- Offshore umbilicals
- Steel-tube and thermoplastic-hose constructions; control, hydraulic, electrical and hybrid umbilicals
- Smooth-bore polymer outer sheaths protected by polished chute and rollers
- Flexible pipeline and small-bore flexibles
- Telecom backbone and repeatered cable
Sectors
- Offshore Renewable Energy — inter-array and export cable lay
- Offshore Oil & Gas — umbilical, flexible-pipe and IRM operations
- Telecom — submarine backbone cable and repeater installation
- Shoreside transpooling and FAT operations
Featured Build
Two (2) traversing spooler systems, one per underdeck carousel — design, supply, FAT and integration with the carousel PLC. Refer to
Annexure-E (E-001 through E-043) for full technical details and compliance matrix.
Specifications
Technical Specifications
Headline parameters for the Dimension Traversing Spooler. Refer to Annexure-E (E-001 through E-043) for the full technical details and compliance matrix.
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|
| MBR / Line Tension | 5 m / 7.5 MT |
| Traverse Mechanism | Rack & pinion over hatch opening |
| Spooler Stroke | 5,700 mm |
| Hatch Opening Reference | 8,500 mm × 2,800 mm |
| Carousel Core Reference | R 4,000 mm |
| Distance to Carousel Centre | 2,000 mm (from spooler centreline) |
| Guide Chute | Integrated rollers (LUC) on machined-and-polished chute |
| Surface Finish | Smooth — suitable for cables and offshore umbilicals |
| Drive System | Electric via VFD — integrated with carousel PLC |
| Drive Direction | Reversible / multi-directional (pay-on, pay-off, re-spool) |
| Traversing Gearmotor | Pinion-driven, deck-mounted, with E-chain energy management |
| Foundation | Rails bolted to deck — modular, demountable carriage |
| Slack Absorption | Chute geometry absorbs slack on emergency stop |
| User Interface | Local diagnostic + remote operation from cable-lay control room |
| Finish — Foundation | RAL 6005 Moss Green |
| Finish — Carriage | RAL 5017 Blue / RAL 3020 Red |
| Quantity (typical) | 2 × spooler systems (one per carousel) |
| Reference | Annexure-E, E-001 through E-043 |
General Arrangement
Spooler General Arrangement — hatch, stroke, rails, gearmotor and E-chain envelope
Design Views
3D render — inside underdeck carousel basket
CAD isometric — rails, carriage, chute, gearmotor, drive
Control & Operation
- VFD electric drive — torque and speed continuously controlled across the traverse stroke
- Spooler PLC slaved to carousel PLC — traverse position commanded from carousel rotation
- HMI on the local panel for diagnostic, fault-finding and standalone test operation
- Remote console in the cable-lay control room — single-operator workflow with carousel and tensioner
- Reversible mode — multi-directional operation supports pay-on, pay-off and re-spool campaigns
- Trend logging — traverse position, motor current and PLC interlock status
- Hard-wired emergency stop — chute slack envelope catches the product before line tension is lost
Benefits
- Single platform handles cables and umbilicals — no separate spooling rig required
- Multi-directional drive shortens campaign turnaround between transpooling and lay operations
- PLC integration removes operator hand-off — reduces lay-pattern risk and crew workload
- Modular deck-bolted foundation — fast yard installation and demountability for class survey
- Engineered, fabricated and FAT-tested in Singapore by the team that supports operations offshore
Delivery Methodology
01
Layout Planning
Spooler footprint, traverse stroke and chute envelope set against vessel hatch and basket geometry.
02
Integrated Analysis
Cable-path verification across chute, traverse and carousel; MBR, tension and slack envelope confirmed.
03
PLC Integration
Spooler VFD drive and traverse position synchronised with carousel rotation through the shared PLC.
04
Equipment FAT
Traverse function, chute alignment, emergency-stop slack absorption tested at the factory.
05
Carousel Integration
Spooler installed over hatch, foundation rails bolted to deck, integrated FAT with carousel.
06
Class Approvals
Foundation and structural approval; integrated cable-handling certification with the carousel.
