Global Maritime Deep Sea Mooring signs winches deal with GMO

PERTH, Australia -- Global Maritime Deep Sea Mooring has announced a $770,000 (AU$ 1 million) investment with local manufacturer Green Monster Offshore (GMO) for two state-of-the art remote operated spooling winches to support offshore pre-lay mooring operations.

Under the agreement with Global Maritime Deep Sea Mooring, GMO will design, manufacture, and supply two hydraulic spooling winches, with the larger unit able to accommodate a 200 tonne, 5-m diameter reel.

The spooling winches will be fully self-contained with on-board diesel driven hydraulic power units and specifically designed to meet both Global Maritime Deep Sea Mooring’s exacting requirements and those imposed by the harsh climatic conditions offshore the North West of Australia.

GMO’s spooling units are based around the company’s fluid resistance drive (FRD) technology. FRD is a passive tensioning system that generates no pulling force of its own, but instead—through resisting the pulling force of the winch being spooled—develops back tension.

A wireless radio frequency (RF) control system completes the package, interfacing with the spooling winch’s on-board PLC (Programmable Logic Control) and allowing a single operator to control all winch functions remotely from a safe working distance. The result will be unparalleled tension control and exceptionally high efficiencies and safety.