DIVING & UNDERWATER SERVICES
Shipping Boss Swaps Roles to Help Lift Port Business
Steve Williams, Operations Director for Portsmouth’s international cargo operator Portico, has swapped his usual office view for one which is a few floors higher. Over 20 metres higher, roughly.
Crane drivers are critical to unloading the goods from ships, which call into Portsmouth bringing thousands of fresh produce in pallets and containers. To help make sure this essential role can continue, Steve has taken a refresher course so he’s able to step into the cab once again and make sure supplies keep moving.
Following approval from an instructor, Steve passed his competency test and is
fully certified to drive cranes once again.
Steve said: “It’s been a while since I’ve been in this position. The last time was when I was in a previous role at Immingham Port.
“But it feels so familiar now I’m doing it again.
“It’s important that we’re all able to provide the support needed to keep critical supply routes moving. I’m pleased I can play my part and help the team around me who are all working so hard.
“While it’s definitely different to what I would be usually doing, I certainly enjoy the peace and quiet. It’s another way to self-isolate and there’s no danger
Webtool Cable Gripper Set for Longer Subsea
Deployments With the need to use and abandon the cable gripper for up to 20 days between cable recovery projects, hydraulic tools specialist, Webtool, has redesigned its Webtool CRT200 Cable Retrieval Tool for large diameter cable and longer subsea deployment in water up to 1500 metres water depth.
Designed to allow the safe and controlled recovery of damaged cable and umbilical up to 254 mm (10”) diameter, the CRT200 cable gripper provides a streamlined cable recovery where the gripper, guided by an ROV, is lowered onto the end of the cable without requiring preliminary clearing
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of the soil around the cable. The mechanically locked gripping action ensures the umbilical cannot escape during retrieval; moreover, an internal clutch mechanism prevents damage from overtightening. By gripping the end of the cable, it makes subsequent handling much easier, enabling the cable to be recovered to a reeler or spooler on the surface vessel.
The CRT200 cable gripper weighs approx. 600 kg and has a maximum load capacity of 20 tonnes. It is available with hydraulic hot stab or torque bucket interface options.
“With the growing need to ensure offshore subsea operations are both cost-efficient and sustainable, the
ability to deploy and abandon the CRT200 Cable Gripper for up to 20 days before recovery to the surface is a significant boost to the gripper’s utilisation in cable and umbilical recovery campaigns,” says Keith Elliot, Managing Director, Allspeeds.
of not keeping to the two metre social distancing rule.
“I got called in at 7am this morning to cover a shift and will be doing another one later, so pretty much a full day.”
Portico is managing regular arrivals of fresh produce which are destined for supermarket shelves and also shipping essential goods to the Channel Islands.
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