JIFMAR Demonstrates Versatility of Hydro-Lek Manipulators

The versatility of Hydro-Lek manipulators has been demonstrated by French offshore services company JIFMAR Offshore Services on various deep sea maintenance and recovery projects over the past four years.

JIFMAR have deployed Hydro-Lek’s EH5 and HD5 five function arms on both Seaeye Cougar and Sub Atlantic Mohican ROVs to perform a wide range of operations including: hooking and unhooking snap links holding seismic tripods; hooking J-tubes that reach from seafloor to the top of wind turbine platforms; securing an ROV to a 24 ton plough while it was digging a trench to embed underwater cables; providing extra tooling (shovel/spade, push-core, plier) for seafloor research applications; and hooking acoustic releases and bringing materials to the surface for the French Defense Ministry. More recently this year Hydro-Lek’s HD5 arm was deployed on a Cougar XT33 to help recover a trenching ROV where the track had become stuck during operation.

Earlier this year, JIFMAR adapted the jaw to create a plastic claw mechanism on Hydro-Lek’s HD5 manipulator to enable sea-life samples such as crabs and plants to be gently lifted from seafloor without causing any damage.

“We have built up enormous trust in Hydro-Lek since 2010 when we bought our first equipment,” said Jean-Baptiste Loiselet, Technical Manager for JIFMAR France. “We are particularly impressed with the ease, adaptability and robustness of Hydro-Lek products as well as the efficiency and response of the service we have received from their Sales and Technical team.”

Weighing 9.5 kg in water, the Hydro-Lek HLK-EH5 is a rugged but articulate five-function arm and incorporates a continuous jaw rotate assembly and three hydraulic cylinders. Constructed from HE30 aluminum, the HLK-EH5 is designed for the smaller ROV where dexterity and weight are key.

Based in France, JIFMAR is a French-based company specializing in offshore project engineering and management and providing services for the oil and gas, marine renewable, and defense industries.

Hydro-Lek is a supplier of remote handling systems for the subsea, nuclear and defense industries. The company was acquired by Saab Seaeye in 2013 and produces a range of hydraulic intervention tooling from simple hydraulic components to fully integrated telemetry-controlled remote manipulator systems for integration onto ROVs and remote access platforms worldwide.