SCS Secures Commercial Exclusivity of DRE Subsea Cable Mold Kits

Subsea Commercial Services Ltd (SCS) has secured global commercial exclusivity, excluding the manned submersibles sector, for Dead Reckoning Engineering's (DRE) Reusable Subsea Cable Mould Kits, giving operators and technology developers worldwide access to a compact, reusable solution for subsea cable repair and low-volume cable manufacture.

The partnership brings a practical new capability to SCS's international customer base—the ability to repair and manufacture micro-circular subsea cable assemblies in-house, in the field and when required, rather than relying on specialist manufacturers and potentially lengthy lead-times.

DRE's reusable mold kits are designed specifically for micro-circular subsea cables and are a solution in applications including ROV lighting and camera cables, pan & tilt cables, ADCP communications, datalogger-to-sensor connections and battery-pack extensions.

For subsea operators, a damaged cable or requirement for a small number of bespoke cable assemblies can create a disproportionate impact on project schedules. Offshore mobilization, vessel time, logistics and specialist manufacturing lead times can all add cost and delay to what may otherwise be a relatively straightforward engineering requirement.

Compact, reusable and field-deployable, the Cable Mould Kits puts cable repair and low-volume manufacturing capability directly into the hands of the operator. The system can be deployed where it is needed, enabling operators to respond to cable requirements without necessarily waiting for a replacement assembly to be manufactured and shipped.

A key feature of the DRE system is its interchangeable insert technology. Standard inserts cover cable diameters from 7-12mm, while blank inserts can be drilled by the user on-site to accommodate non-standard cable diameters. The mold body itself does not need to be modified, meaning operators can retain the value of the reusable mold while adapting the system to different cable diameters by changing out the low-cost insert.

The result is a system designed to be faster, more flexible and more economical for operators working with different cable diameters and low-volume requirements, with the current offering including both straight inline and Y-splice reusable mould kits, with replacement inserts available separately. The mould kits can include client company logos to deboss the logo onto the cable mould further enhancing the offering.

As part of the new partnership, SCS can also supply customers with all the consumable materials required to produce the cable molds, providing a complete solution rather than simply supplying the mold hardware. This enables customers to source the mold system and associated materials through a single specialist subsea supplier, helping to simplify procurement and ensure the required resources are available when the system is deployed.

The technology is particularly suited to organizations operating ROVs, subsea instrumentation, marine science equipment, environmental monitoring systems and other subsea technologies incorporating micro-circular cables. DRE says its systems are designed to enable low-volume cable products to be produced quickly and field repairs to be undertaken offshore, helping operators take greater control over their cable supply chain.

Under the agreement, SCS will provide global commercial access to the mould technology, with the manned submersibles sector excluded from the exclusivity agreement. The partnership is expected to support customers across the offshore energy, marine science, ocean technology, hydrographic survey, ROV, environmental monitoring and subsea engineering sectors.