Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
Engineering Notes.
Compiled
by
Ian S. Coote
Part 3
Handbook
for
Ocean Cable Engineering.
Volume 1
Introduction
and
Glossary of Ocean Cable Engineering Terminology.
1st. Edition
This compilation
Contents.
Page No.
1. Introduction. 1
The following are the identifiable sources from which the material used in this volume has
been derived.
Chapters, Sections.
www.ispc.org/Glossary_Page.htm 2
1. Introduction.
The ocean engineering notes for ocean cable engineering is presented in the form of a
handbook. The amount of the material gathered and it nature has lent itself to a handbook
format.
The handbook does not cover the areas of electronic and optical components in ocean cable
systems as there are other reference books and manuals that cover these areas well, and it
outside the scope of the Handbook. However there are broad descriptions of the specialized
electronics and optronics that are used in ocean cable systems to provide some background for
the related ocean engineering.
The term ocean cable is used in this handbook to describe cables that are laid on the
seafloor as this was the term used in the environment where work was carried out, rather than
the term submarine cable, which was considered also to include electromechanical cables
used in the ocean.
Methods, equipment and components that are also used in other parts of ocean engineering,
such as navigation, ropes and chain, are not covered in the Handbook but are covered in Part 2
of the notes. The design of cables is covered in Part 4 of the notes.
3. Cable Working Vessels, Cable Handling Systems, and Working of Cables and Ropes.
8. System Installation.
9. System Maintenance.
The additional notes includes limited information on the characteristics of ocean cables, and
some additional figures and drawings.
Page 2
The following glossary of ocean cable engineering terminology has been derived from a range
of sources to provide a reasonably complete list of terms and meanings found in different
types of ocean cable systems. Most glossaries for ocean cable systems are focussed on
communications systems, particularly optical, while the Handbook is intended to cover a wide
range of systems.
'A' End The end of a system, block , or single repeater, into which the
positive current is usually fed. In a system with branches, the
A end is normally one end of the main trunk cable.
'A' Terminal Usually the Terminal supplying positive current into the cable
system
Alter Course (A/C) Point along a cable route where the course bearing changes.
Armor Wires Normally galvanized steel wires laid around the core of the
cable, to provide both tensile strength and protection. In
modern ocean cables the armor wires are normally of circular
cross section.
Armored Cable Cable covered with protective armor wires. Heavier armor wires
used mainly in shallow water ( up to 2000m depth ) in an
attempt to prevent damage to the cable by fishing gear, anchors
etc. Deep sea armored cable uses smaller armor wires of high
strength steel.
Page 3
As Laid List See Route Position List, Straight Line Diagram (SLD).
Articulated Piping A system of articulated pipes which are fitted over cable in
very shallow water ( near beaches ) to give further protection to
that afforded by armoring.
'B' End The end of a system, block, or single repeater into which
the negative current is usually fed. In a system with branches,
the B end is normally one end of the main trunk cable.
'B' Terminal Usually the Terminal supplying negative current into the cable
system.
Batfish Grapnel A large grapnel for use in shallow water on sand and mud
bottoms.
Beach Anchor Strong point, usually concrete block embedded in the ground to
act as an anchor for the shore end cable.
Beach Joint The joint between the land cable and the shore end cable.
Beach Manhole Concrete vault at the top of the beach landing point used to
accommodate the beach joint. Often also used to provide the
beach anchor, and for the storage of extra cable.
Bell Mouth Circular opening above the Cable tank in the shape of a bell,
through which the cable passes from the tank to the deck.
Allows the cable to uncoil freely, in a controlled manner, from
the tank. Bellmouths can also appear at the front of plows, and
on some tracked vehicles, to guide the cable smoothly into the
burial tool.
Bight Any loop of rope or cable. Often used to refer to the single loop
of cable hauled on board the cable ship during a repair, or to
the U-shaped loop of cable exiting the cable tank in which a
Page 4
repeater is positioned.
Block Seal Method of sealing the end of the cable to prevent the ingress of
Block End Seal water. Block seals may be simple fittings to prevent water
ingress, or similar to cable joints where fibers can be spliced
and looped back to allow optical tests, or where the metallic
conductor in the cable can be in either open circuit or short
circuit with the sea.
Bow Baulks General arrangement in the fore part of the cable ship
consisting of whiskers and sheaves.
Bow Sheaves Large wheels in fore part of ship over which the cable is run
during cable operations.
Bow Thruster Engine and propeller in fore part of the ship which can be used
to push the bow to port or starboard thus enhancing the ship's
maneuverability during cable operations. There are two types,
Gill, which is capable of 360 degree rotation and tunnel which
is a tube in the hull of the ship.
Bow to Stern Transfer Operation in which the cable is transferred from the bow
sheaves to the after cable machinery around the outside of the
ship. Usually performed at the start of a lay when a previously
laid end is picked up forward and then passed aft.
Branching Unit (BU) A branching unit is associated with Optical Cable systems, and
is the subsea unit used at the point where a cable system splits
into two legs. i.e. the fibers are split up and may go to two
terminals or to other branching units. Some branching units
have the capability for switching the fibers from one leg to
another.
Break Test An electrical test taken on a broken, rather than faulty cable, to
pinpoint break position.
Bridging Rope Length of rope which is stoppered to the cable either side of
damage so that if the cable parts at the damage during pick up,
the end will not be lost. May also refer to a similar rope joining
two lengths of scrap enabling them to be paid out as one.
BTL Stopper A cable stopper suitable for armored cables, to allow transfer of
weights from the cables armor wires to an external grip, without
damaging the outer sheath of the cable. Able to be placed at
any point on the cable.
Page 5
Bumpkins Frames which extend on either side of the cable ship's stern.
Used to keep cable/rope clear of the propellers during transfer
operations.
Buoy (Cable) Nowadays most commonly used to mark and secure cable ends.
Buoy Rope A rope designed to form the scope of the mooring of a cable
buoy. The suspended portions of the scope are now mainly
synthetic rope, while the section which may lay on the bottom is
normally a wire rope similar to grapnel rope.
Burial Assessment A survey of the seabed to determine the likely success of any
Survey (BAS) type of burial operation and to assist in the appropriate
selection of cable armoring. There are different combinations
of tools, which may be used to constitute a BAS. For instance it
may be invasive and continuous, such as a mini-plow or
grapnel shaped tool. Alternatively sampling can be carried out
at discrete sites, using techniques such as cone penetrometer
tests (CPTs), or by core recovery. Other geophysical methods,
such as resistivity or seismic refraction can be used, or any
combination of the above. See Electronic Burial Assessment
(EBAS) and Plow Assessment Survey (PAS).
Burial Depth The distance between the top of a buried cable and the seafloor.
See Trench Depth
Burial Protection Index A concept relating depth of burial to the level of protection
achieved taking into account the strength of the material into
which the cable is buried. The objective of the concept is to
provide the optimum economic level of burial protection.
C' End The end of a branch into which the current is usually fed to
power the branch. If more branches then they are called D, E,
etc.
'C' Terminal Usually the Terminal supplying current into the cable branch.
Cable Angle The angle the cable makes with the horizontal as it is being laid.
Cable Chart Chart showing positions of all submarine cables in the area.
Cable Awareness Chart Maybe of electronic format. Cable Awareness Chart is infor-
mation is usually targeted towards fishermen to avoid cable
damage and loss of fishing equipment.
Page 6
Cable Catenary Term used to describe the shape of a cable in the water column
from the ship to the seabed, normally during recovery opera-
tions.
Cable Crossing The point at which a cable crosses an existing buried cable.
(Buried Cable) Negotiations with the existing cable owner are required to agree
to a mutually acceptable crossing procedure / methodology for
buried cables. There is typically an agreed exclusion zone on
each side of the existing cable where no towed bodies such as
plows or grapnels can be used. Cable crossing points are
usually post lay buried by jetting to ensure that the cable
remains in a safe, stable position.
Cable Crossing The point at which a new cable crosses an existing surface
(Surface Laid) laid cable. Generally the cable type selected is similar to that
already laid underneath.
Cable Coupling. Unit forming the mechanical and conductor joint between the
cable and a housing.
Cable Depots Depots strategically placed around the world which store cable
suitable for the systems in that area.
Cable Drum Large power driven drum used to pick up and pay out cable.
See Drum Cable Engine
Cable Head Refers to the cable end positioned in the Cable Terminating
Cubicle (CTC), Cable Terminating Equipment (CTE) or Power
Feed Equipment (PFE).
Cable Mile One cable nautical mile = 6087 ft, = 1,855.32 meters. This is
different from an international nautical mile which = 6080 ft =
1,852 meters.
Cable Repair Ship A cable ship designed primarily for the repair of cables.
Cable Route Engineering The process of planning the build of an undersea cable system.
Following the receipt of the cable route survey report the final
engineered cable route is optimized and selected. The cable
types are selected and the levels of cable slack are defined
to allow complete in-fill of the undulating seabed. The end
result of the route engineering process is a cable Straight Line
Diagram (SLD) which is used to manufacture the cable system.
Page 7
Cable Route Survey This is the marine survey operation to obtain all the necessary
information to design and engineer a cost effective and reliable
cable system. Following receipt of the cable route survey
report the installation cable route is optimized based on data
obtained on the seabed bathymetry (depth contours etc.), sub-
bottom profiling together with other useful information such as
side scan sonar, currents, temperatures and prevailing weather
conditions. The survey will determine if cable burial is
required or indeed is possible.
Cable Seal A device that allows a cables conductors to pass from the sea
into a housing.
Cable Ship (C.S.) A vessel usually custom built to install (lay) and repair cables.
Cable Slot A longitudinal opening above a cable tank with a bell mouth
over the center of the cable tank and extending forward or aft to
the outside diameter of the tank and down the wall of the tank
for storing bights to and from the tank to the repeater stowage
Cable Tanks Large tanks in the ship or depot in which the cable is stored.
Cable Terminating Secure box or cabinet where the cable end is secured and
Cubicle (CTC) / electrical power applied to the conductive cable elements.
Cable Terminating
Equipment (CTE)
Cable Tracker A device used to locate and track along submarine cables
(surface laid or buried). Usually used in association with an
ROV.
Cable Transporter Small portable machine with one ( or more ) pair(s) of cable
gripping wheels or tracks which is used to move cable short
distances e.g. between tanks.
Cable Types The following internationally recognized cable types are offered
by a variety of system suppliers for optical fiber ocean
cables.
Cable Vault Termination room in a shore station for the cable(s) and ocean
ground.
Chain Moorings Buoy moorings consisting of chain rather than rope used on
shallow water buoys.
Coaxial Cable Type of cable used for Submarine systems from the 1960s
through the 1980s. Now superseded by fiber optics in commun-
ications systems. Still used in ranges and some surveillance
systems
Common Grapnel A general purpose five prong grapnel, with three prong lengths
with three point types, standard, chisel and spear point.
Page 9
Cone Penetrometer A test carried out on the seabed where a cone is forced into
Test (CPT) the seabed material. Data obtained from the force required to
penetrate the seabed allows the shear strength or relative
density of the material to be determined. CPTs are usually
carried out at discrete locations along the cable route in areas
where burial may be considered, and are used to validate the
electronic survey data.
Core Sample A cylindrically shaped soil sample taken from the seabed using
a corer or vibro-core sampling machine.
Corridor Refers to the width of the sea bed corridor investigated during
the survey operation. The survey corridor may vary in width
dependent on the water depth. See Survey Swathe.
Cutting Grapnels A range of grapnels, both passive and powered for cutting
cables. Used where it is not possible to lift a bight of cable to
the surface.
Page 10
Cut & Hold Grapnel Grapnel capable of cutting the cable and then gripping the cable
on one side of the cut.
Cutting Flatfish Grapnel Type of grapnel consisting of a diamond shaped plate with a
prong on each side. A blade is fitted at the junction between the
plate and the prong, which cuts the cable when it lodges there.
Used principally in deep water where the conditions lend
themselves to this type of grapnel.
DC Test Set Equipment used for resistance & capacitance testing of cable &
plant. For routine testing, fault location, and integrity testing
of cables.
Deep Water Protected A special design of semi-armored optical fiber cable offered as
Cable (DWP) a spare cable for deep water repairs in local areas where non-
armored cable abrasion as proven to be a persistent problem
due to a rough seabed and high bottom currents. See Cable Types
Depressor Device fitted to plow or other burial tool which pushes the
cable down into the trench.
Desk Top Study This is the first stage of any cable route survey operation. The
desk top study draws on published information of interest to
the cable engineers planning the route and selecting suitable
cable types. The desk top study will therefore provide infor-
mation on climate, weather patterns, bathymetry, temperatures,
shipping, fishing, other cables (both in use and out of use) etc.
along the proposed route.
Direct Shore End Landing Where the main lay vessel can safely approach a landing point
to within a distance where cable can be floated directly ashore.
Dissipation Factor The tangent of the dielectric loss angle. Fir high quality
dielectrics tan! = ! , and the dissipation factor is given in
microradians at a particular frequency.
Dispersion The spread of the pulse width during transmission due to the
differing velocities of the frequencies forming the pulse in the
transmitting medium.
Diver Swim Survey Usually carried out as part of the inshore survey operation. A
diver will swim the cable route to locate and identify any
seabed features or obstacles likely to cause problems when the
shore end cable is landed. Can be used post laying to check for
exposed or suspended cable.
Doserate Meter Equipment used in jointing to check for radiation leakage from
x-ray cameras.
Double Armor Type of cable armoring used on cable system shore ends,
consisting of 2 layers of armor wires.
Down Time Equipment or vessel downtime (i.e. time not operating correctly)
is recorded on the operational daily report.
Draw Off & Hold Back Term applied to the back tensioning equipment used in conjun-
(DOHB) Gear ction with a cable drum engine. The DOHB gear may be a tracked
caterpillar engine or a tire engine capable of traversing across
the working width of the drum engine.
Drill Pipe Protection Drill pipe used as protection for the shore of the cable, alter-
native to split pipe for some cables.
Drum Cable Engine A capstan device for controlling the cable pay out / recovery.
The drum engine is used in conjunction with a back tensioning
unit known as a Draw Off & Hold Back (DOHB) Gear. Cable Drum
Engines can be top loading or bottom loading and are fitted
with fleeting knives or rings to control the position of cable on
the drum or the drum can be self fleeting. See Linear Cable
Engine (LCE).
Dynamic Positioning (DP) Term applied to an integrated computer system used to control
the propulsion of a vessel. Suitable DP systems allow vessels to
automatically maintain station (position) or to move along a
selected route at a given speed.
Egglink Egg shaped steel link in cable working rope & chain fittings
Electrodes (Reversed) 2 trailed devices used to inject a tone into a submarine cable
system, which is detected by the terminal.
Electronic Burial A burial assessment survey (BAS) which does not depend on a
Assessment Survey (EBAS) continuous seabed invasive tool like a plow or grapnel (See
Plow Assessment Survey). Instead EBAS uses sensors towed
along the ground surface, such as resistivity or shear wave
sensors, generally coupled with CPT and video/sonar surveill-
ance equipment. C-BASS is an example of an EBAS tool. See
BAS, PAS.
Electromechanical Cable A type of cable used in the sea which is intended to under
tensile load when in use. Used for umbilicals for ROVs, for
deploying equipment from ships, for scope in moorings that
have sensors mounted along the scope, etc. Can have electrical
and/or optical conductors as required. Normally made in
relatively short lengths. Strength member can be steel wires or
synthetic fibers.
Electronic Route Survey That part of the marine survey in which all data is acquired
electronically, refers to 3D bathymetry, side scan sonar
imagery (a measure of bottom reflectivity, used to identity
surface seabed materials) and sub bottom profiling (used to
obtain information on the composition of the top 2 to 3 meters of
seabed material).
system.
Final Splice Final joint in a cable system repair operation, making system
viable for traffic again.
Flatfish Grapnel Type of grapnel usually used on a sandy seabed, can be cutting
or holding type.
Freighter Transfer A means of shipping cable from the cable factory to the cable
installation vessel by means of a freighter fitted out with cable
tanks. This concept maximizes the main lay cable ships time in
cable laying and avoids potentially long transits for the cable
ship.
Final Splice Final joint in a cable installation, making the system complete
and able to commence commissioning tests. Also refers to the
final joint in a repair operation.
Gifford Grapnel A type of grapnel comprising four wide seated hooks at right
angles to each other. Used on hard or rough bottoms.
Grapnel Rope Wire core rope used for grappling. Most common size used is
6x3.
Grapnel Sheet Large scale chart used to plot ships positions when grappling
for cable.
Grapnel A hook like device used on the end of a length of rope to raise
the cable to the surface.
Ground Area in which cable operations are taking place i.e. cable-
ground.
Ground Chain Length of heavy chain between grapnel rope and grapnels to
keep the front end of grapnel low as grapnels dragged over
bottom.
Ground Rope Rope attached to cable which lies on sea bed to which buoy
moorings are attached. Where a surface buoy is undesirable can
be used as a grappling tail into which the ship can grapple to
recover the cable without damage.
Housing Term sometimes used for cable joints and repeaters. The housing
offers pressure resistance by means of a tubular casing and end
closures, provides an electrical path for powered systems and
provides the mechanical strength to protect the cable fibers and
other components within the housing.
Injection Molding A method for remaking the insulation over joints, etc., by
injecting the insulation material under heat and pressure into a
mold.
Page 15
Injector Shoe A jet burial tool fixed to the side of a shore end installation
barge, enabling deep burial ( up to 33ft - 10m ) in soft mater-
ials in water depths up to 130ft - 40m.
Jet Burial Cable burial in suitable seabed materials (sands and soft silts/
clays only) by a ROV or sledge equipped with a jetting tool.
Water jets remove seabed material to form a trench into which
the cable is lowered, See Trench Burial, Plow Burial.
Joint Housing or Joint Box The rigid casing which provides protection for the vulnerable
completed joint.
Knocked-up When the weight of a buoy mooring has been transferred from
the buoy to the rope on the cable engines.
Lightweight Protected (LWP) LWP cable is the same as a basic lightweight cable except it has
a much thicker polyethylene coating.
Page 16
Lightweight Screened (LWS) LWS cable has a metallic tube running it's core inside of the
polyethylene coating to enhance fiber protection in the event of
an outside coating breach.
Lightweight Generally deep water cable used in benign areas of the seabed.
Where the inner steel wires ( strength members ) are
surrounded by an insulant of natural polyethylene.
Lightweight Sheathed Cable Based on lightweight cable with the addition of an extra poly-
ethylene sheath coating for additional bending stiffness and
abrasion protection.
Lift Capacity The weight of cable (normally in tons or tonnes) that a ship is
(Cable Tonnage) able to carry.
Linear Cable Engine (LCE) Machine at aft end of the vessel used to bear the weight of and
pick up/pay out cable. Consists of a series of wheels and tires
or tracks, which grip the cable top and bottom. The more weight
that is borne , the more ' sets of wheels or tracks' are required
to hold it. See Drum Cable Engine.
Load / The term used for the operation of physically taking cable on
Load Out board the vessel.
Maximum Sine Wave The maximum power the electrical repeater can handle before
Output Power some specified impairment or distortion occurs.
Mini System Repeatered cable systems are designed with an optimum cable
length between repeaters to maximize transmission and
minimize attenuation losses. A degree of tolerance is built into
the system to allow for length increases due to repairs. Deep
water repairs, however, may require the addition of a repeater,
this would be built into a mini system with a section of cable on
either end to allow a speedy repair.
Minimum Bending Radius Cables should be handled and stored to the manufacturers
specifications. One important parameter which has to be
observed is the cable minimum bending radius which ensures
that the cable elements are not over strained or damaged. It is
important to note that different values of minimum bending
radius can apply dependent on the tension in the cable and the
time duration of the bend.
Multiconductor Cable A cable that has more that one conductor, typical cables are
twin conductor, and quad conductor.
Misalignment The extent to which equalization departs from the ideal, in dB.
Positive misalignment represents gain, while negative misalign-
ment represents loss. Misalignment can be absolute ( departure
from a nominal level ) or relative ( departure of level from a
level from levels at other units along the system ).
Mushroom Anchor A mushroom shaped anchor which comes in various sizes and is
used for anchoring buoy moorings, cable ends, etc.
Nautical Mile When used for cable, refers to a cable nautical mile, 6087 feet
or 1855.3 meters. The international nautical mile is
6076.10333 feet or 1852 meters.
Page 18
Noise Figure The number of decibels by which the output thermal noise
power of an electric repeater, when referred to the input by the
repeaters available power gain, exceeds the ideal value given by
kT B ( Where K = Boltzmans constant =1.3806 "10#23 joules/
degree kelvin, T = temperature in degrees Kelvin, and
B= bandwidth in Hertz ) at room temperature of 17 0 C, or 290 0
Kelvin, this limiting or ideal value of noise is given by
( )
P = #174 + 10log B dBm.
Normans Pad eyes welded to the upper section of cable buoys, through
which the girth wire or necklace passes, or to which the
Senhouse slip to the moorings is attached. The buoy trailer may
also be shackled to a norman, depending on the type of buoy rig.
North Atlantic Slip A method for handling two cables that are to be spliced and then
slipping the spliced cables.
Ocean Block Equalizer Passive device used to match cable loss and repeater gains
throughout an ocean block within a cable system. Is used on
both coaxial and optically amplified systems. For optical fiber
systems equalization can be typically achieved with a Passive
Equalization Unit (PEU) or Gain Equalization Unit (GEU).
Ocean Cable A cable that is intended to laid along the bottom of the sea for
signal transmission between shores or between sensors and the
shore. Installation is intended to be permanent. Cable may have
electrical and/or optical conductors. Long lengths may require
repeaters which are powered from the cable. Main forms are
armorless ( strength member in center of cable ) and armored.
Normally manufactured in long lengths. In glossary referred to
as cable.
Page 19
Ocean Ground An in the sea ground for cable systems that use a sea water path
for the ground between the power supplies. May be in the
nearshore area or imbedded in the beach or near beach area.
Optical Amplifier An optical amplifier uses Erbium doped fiber and a laser pump
to amplify an optical signal. This is done without the optical
signal being regenerated by conversion to an electrical signal
and then converted back into an optical signal, as is the case
with optical regenerators.
Pipe Tracker A device used to locate and track along pipelines and cables
(surface laid or buried). Usually used in association with an
ROV.
Plow Assessment A survey carried out to determine the suitability of the seabed
Survey (PAS) to bury cable.
Plow Burial Burial of the cable into the seabed for enhanced cable protection
using a plow (usually towed from the installation vessel as the
cable is deployed from the vessel). The cable is guided into the
bottom of a narrow trench cut into the seabed by the plow
depressor . See Jet Burial, Trench Burial.
Plow Tow Tension Tow force required to pull the plow along the seabed during
plowing operations. The tow force is usually measured at the
plow tow point, but can be calculated from the tow tension
measured on the ship at the tow winch.
Pock Marks Most pock marks are formed by the decay of organic matter
within the sediment matrix which causes gas to seep upwards
and to be released at the seabed as bubbles. The sediment grains
in this area are forced apart by the gas and can be winnowed
away by even very low bottom currents. The typical conical
shape of pock marks is caused by this winnowing, which is
centered around the area of greatest gas release. Pock mark
width and depth can vary greatly, mainly dependent on the level
of gas release and bottom currents. Some of the larger pock
marks can be tens of meters deep and have very steep side-
slopes. The slopes - coupled with the soft sediment - are a
direct threat to plow operations.
Post Lay Burial (PLB) This operation involves the burial of cable into the seabed after
the cable has been deployed. The operation can be carried out
by divers in shallow water (generally less than 30 m) or by an
ROV equipped with jetting or trenching tools.
Post Lay Inspection (PLI) This operation involves the inspection of the installed cable
after it has been deployed and possibly buried.
Post Lay Inspection & This operation is usually carried out in areas of plow burial
Burial (PLIB) after the cable installation by an ROV. The inspection operation
(usually over selected areas of the buried cable route, up to a
maximum percentage of the buried cable length) confirms the
burial depth. If necessary additional burial (usually by jetting)
can be implemented in localized areas, for instance at plow
skips (where the plow has been recovered for repair or
maintenance).
Post Lay Rock Dump Term used to describe the accurate dumping of graded rock over
a defined area of the seabed, after cable deployment. This
operation is often specified by pipeline owners as part of the
cable crossing agreement and is specified to prevent cable
movement over and along the pipeline after installation.
Page 21
Power Budgets The margin above the minimum receivers requirement to allow
for system degradation of the light source or the addition of
splices to repair the cable. Used in the design of optical
systems to calculate the quantity of repeaters or amplifiers
Power Feed Equipment A constant current/ high voltage power supply used to supply
(PFE) DC power to a submarine cable system.
Power Safety Officer (PSO) The person on the vessel, who has responsibility to the Master
(or Offshore SuperIntendent) for the safety of all personnel on
the cable ship in respect of all dangerous voltage and current
used in conjunction with laying and with jointing and testing
the system during repair operations.
Power Safety Message (PSM) A message (usually written and faxed, but can be verbal)
exchanged between the cable ship and the terminal stations to
define who has power safety control and in what condition the
cable head is to be maintained.
Pre Lay Rock Dump Term used to describe the accurate dumping of graded rock over
a defined area of the seabed, prior to the cable deployment. This
operation is often specified by pipeline owners as part of the
cable crossing agreement.
Pre Laid Shore End Where the main lay vessel cannot safely approach the landing
(Separate Shore End) point (due to draft, or prevailing weather conditions) a separate
shore end landing operation is carried out using a smaller
vessel with a shallow draft allowing for a closer approach to the
beach landing. The result is a pre laid shore end, which the
main lay vessel can recover and carry out an initial splice
before laying away.
Pre Lay Grapnel Run (PLGR) This operation is carried out shortly before burial operations
and involves towing a grapnel along the planned burial route to
ensure that any discarded material (such as abandoned ropes,
fishing equipment etc.) which could foul the burial machine and
cause cable damage is removed. This activity is separate from
Route Clearance.
Pressure Coefficient The change in loss of cable with change in pressure. Usually
given in percent per kilo-fathom, nautical mile or kilometer, at
specifies frequency, reference temperature and pressure.
Protection Grounding Provides the earth path, in the event of a cable becoming live,
Unit (PGU) during a repair on a system that has switchable branching
Page 22
Post lay Inspection and Operation to inspect and bury cable upon completion of a lay.
Burial (PLIB) Utilizing an ROV.
Pulse Echo Fault Locator Sometimes known as a reflectometer. It has been designed to
(PEFL) locate mismatch conditions ( open circuits, short circuits, joints
) in coaxial cable. The nature of the mismatch can be ascer-
tained by comparing the reflected pulse with the original
transmitted pulse
Ready for Provisional Date on which the System Supplier offers the cable system to the
Acceptance (RFPA) customer for acceptance (all main lay marine installation
operations, supplier commissioning and acceptance tests having
been completed).
Ready For Provisional Date on which the cable system has completed all commiss-
Service (RFPS) ioning tests / customer acceptance tests and has been accepted
by the customer of the system, subject to some additional
works being carried out. The cable system is ready for customer
use. (Also known as Commercial or Customer Acceptance)
Ready For Service (RFS) Date on which the cable system has completed all commissioning
tests / customer acceptance tests and has been accepted by the
purchaser of the system. The cable system is ready for customer
use.
Receiver Sensitivity Point The minimum power that an optical repeater can process.
Receiver Overload Point The maximum power that an optical repeater can process.
Round Bottom Grapnel (RB) A grapnel which has 5 or 6 hooks and is used for picking up
cable in mud and sand when the cable is likely to be buried.
Regenerator They are the individual modules that make up a repeater and
restore the optical signal to its full amplitude for onward
transmission down the line. Only used in long-haul systems
that need repeaters.
Remote Amplifier Box (RAB) Term used to describe an erbium amplifier housing positioned
in an unrepeatered cable system.
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Remotely Operated Vehicle A submersible unmanned vehicle used to inspect, de-bury, bury
(ROV) or re-bury cables. They can also be used to carry out surveys
and inspection of the cable on the seabed. ROVs are usually f
fitted with cameras, cable tracking equipment and for burial
operations can be fitted with a jetting or trenching tool package.
` Various types of ROV exist, primarily, CIRRUS, SCARAB, and
MARLIN. See Plow.
Rennies Grapnel A type of grapnel comprising four wide seated hooks at right
angles to each other. Used on rough and rocky bottoms and hard
sand.
Repeatered Cable System A powered cable system fitted with repeaters (or optical
amplifiers).
Residual Suspensions Lengths of suspended cable after laying due to insufficient fill
slack.
Reverse Gifford Grapnels (RG) A type of grapnel for recovering cable on the seabed.
Rock Armor (RA) Cable A special type of double armor cable. The outer layer of armor
wires have a very short lay length to provide enhanced crush
resistance and hence provide improved protection against
external damage caused by impacts from rocks, anchors,
dropped objects and towed equipment such as fishing gear. See
Cable Types.
Rouillard Grapnel. A large two pronged grapnel for sand and mud bottoms.
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Route Clearance A Pre Lay Grapnel Run, where specific out of service cables are
targeted for removal from the cable route. Identified cables are
recovered or cut back to provide a clear corridor for the
installation for the new cable system.
Route Engineering Study An enhanced Desk Top Study which involves visiting the
landing sites and gathering additional local information.
Route Position List (RPL) A standard format for providing information on the planned and
then as laid positions of the cable system. Details on the cable
type, sectional and cumulative cable length, positions of alter
courses, joint housings, repeaters, and cable slack values are
recorded.
Sand Grapnel A five prong grapnel for sand bottoms, with three prong lengths.
Sand Waves When mobile, a condition exists where the seabed shifts and
may potentially expose previously buried cable. See Mega-
ripples
Scientific Cable Cables used for research purposes and not for commercial
telecommunications or military purposes, this may include out
of service cables which have been donated or sold to an academic
institution.
Share Part of the plow which engages in the seabed to bury the
cable. See Depressor.
Signal Loss The reduction in signal level along the transmission path. May
be expressed in dB/n. mile, dB/kilometer, db/1000 feet,
db/meter, etc.
Ships of Opportunity Vessels that are designed for other purposes, such as offshore
work boats, that can be fitted out with cable machinery and
cable tanks, and used for cable installation ( and in some cases
repair ).
Shore Controlled Equalizer An undersea unit placed after a number of ocean blocks. The
purpose of the unit is to compensate for long-term changes in
transmission, occurring after installation, such as those due to
cable aging. Not found in fiber optic systems or small band-
width coaxial systems.
Side Scan Sonar An acoustic technique to map the reflectivity of seabed material
identifying potential obstructions on the seabed . Used prim-
arily during survey operations, particularly prior to plowing
operations. The use of side scan sonar is helpful in cable repair
operations in identifying surface laid cables and in localizing
fault locations.
Skid The parts of the plow which run along the seabed are called
skids. The function of a skid is to support the weight of the
plow, while allowing the plow to ride over rugged terrain.
In the standards:
Spear Point Grapnel Type of grapnel used in softer seabed's to achieve greater
penetration for cable recovery.
Split Iron Pipe A protective iron piping for additional protection of the cable
in shallow water, made in sections that can be applied to the
cable after it is laid.
Straight Line Diagram (SLD) The SLD is the result of the cable engineering process
carried out after the cable route survey. The SLD provides
information on the cable types and lengths required to make the
system, together with a manufacturing tolerance and identifying
critical areas of cable which are required to be accurately
positioned (for pipeline crossings etc.) in the system. Repeater
positions (and separations) are usually indicated in the SLD,
together with plow up and down positions, water depths and
slack allocations.
Stinger A rigid share supported from a shore end barge which is fitted
with water jetting nozzles and capable of deep burial of cables
( up to 16ft - 5 m burial ) in suitable seabed materials.
Sub Bottom Profiling (SBP) This is an acoustic method of determining the vertical
lithological distribution of the upper seabed. SBP equipment
releases quite low power, high frequency, short pulses of
acoustic energy into the water column and measures energy
reflected back from the seabed and sub-seabed.
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The acoustic energy reflects back not only from the seabed
surface, but also from layers within the seabed, because of
differing physical properties associated with different
geological units.
Surface Lay Operation where cable is paid out from the vessel and laid
directly onto the seabed without being buried.
System Load and Lay A document prepared by the system manufacturer for the
Instructions (SLLI) / marine installer detailing how the cable system (including
Handling Guidelines joints and repeaters) will be loaded, laid and handled safely.
Instructions on the equipment and services to be provided and
the required safety standards to be maintained during the
operation are defined. A project plan is included.
Taut Wire Wire paid out from vessel during cable laying to give an
accurate distance with which to compare cable distance to
calculate and adjust slack. Now superseded by more accurate
navigation systems like GPS.
Temperature Coefficient The change in loss of the cable with change in temperature.
Usually given in percent per degree Celsius or Fahrenheit at
specified frequency, reference temperature and pressure.
Transition The length of cable (or body) between two different cable types.
Transmission Level The net gain or loss in decibels from a reference point ( zero
level point ) to a point in question. For net gains, the trans-
mission level is positive, for net losses, it is negative. Trans-
mission level may be expressed as X dBr.
Trench Burial Cable burial in the seabed achieved by a mechanical cutter such
as a chain cutter or a rock wheel cutter. This technique is
typically used where plow burial cannot achieve adequate
protection. See Jet Burial, Plow Burial.
Trench Depth The distance between the bottom of the cut trench and the
seafloor (See Burial Depth)
Universal Joint / A type of cable jointing and repeater coupling for optical fiber
Universal Coupling cables that uses an agreed set of equipment and tooling for
(UJ / UC) assembly, and has been approved using an international
standard for qualification testing.
Universal Quick Joint A type of cable jointing for non-repeatered optical fiber
systems, that uses an agreed set of equipment and tooling for
assembly and uses an international standard for qualification
testing.
Unrepeatered Cable System An un-powered cable system, without repeaters. The cable is
capable of carrying a small current and voltage to monitor
Insulation Resistance for a fault condition.
V sheave Type of grooved bow or stern sheave for cable guide, more
appropriate for older, analogue cables.
Volume Indication of the cubic capacity of cable tanks and other spaces
inside the vessel. Normally measured in cubic feet or cubic
meters.
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White Stop Plaited length of hemp rope approx. 5ft - 1.5m long used for
lashing.
Wire Pennant Length of wire used to hang off cables and ropes when
transferring them to and from cable drums. Also used in buoy
rigs and for other, similar purposes.
Yale Grips A custom made webbing stopper for use on rope and armored
cable.
Zero Level Point Used ot provide a reference for expressing transmission level
( 0 dBr ).
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