Submarine & Offshore Oil Hoses

Maintenance and Operating Instructions

Regular maintenance of your hose and ancillary equipment will undoubtedly extend the life of your equipment and reduce the risk of pollution. Following these general guidelines will assist you in this goal.

Considerations for installation
• Establish uniform procedures which will avoid rough handling and over-bending during the installation process.
• Ensure that contingency plans for inclement weather are in place when planning installation.

Considerations for operation
Operational procedures will invariably differ from site to site due to weather conditions and tanker frequency. Attention to the following general guidelines will assist in smooth operations:

• Hose handling vessels should be purpose-built, powerful and highly maneuverable (preferably twin screw). They should have a flat open stern section, equipped with winches compatible with the weights of hoses in use, and should be in radio contact with the mooring master aboard the berthing tanker. To avoid damage to hoses during “alongside” maneuvers, boats should be fitted with propeller guards.
• Initially, hoses should be checked daily to become familiar with how they behave during tide changes. Submarine hoses should be checked before and after each tanker loading, as well as after storms.
• Hose handling equipment such as tail and lifting gear, should be properly modified if necessary to suit the preferences and equipment of handling crews.
• Extreme care should be taken to ensure that the rail hose is not overbent. Proper use of snubbing chains and wires is essential.
• Operation crews need to assess the necessary spare hose requirements and develop a maintenance schedule based upon this assessment.

Maintenance
Maintenance of submarine hoses is limited to visual external inspections. Following the general guidelines below will ensure the maximum results from your inspections:

• Inspect hoses at zero internal pressure and at full working pressure. Maintenance divers should inspect hose configuration to ensure that no adjustments are necessary
• Check the cover of each hose for damage due to chafing. Check each hose carcass for kinks, particularly at connections to rigid areas of the system (manifold connections and buoyancy tanks.) Inspect bolts for tightness. All flanges and hoses should be checked for leaks under pressure.
• System-wide valve arrangements should be such that if a hose failure occurs in one submarine hose in a string, loading can be achieved through the remaining hose string while the failure is being cured.
• Sufficient spare submarine hose should be kept on hand for each applicable size.

Handling
Great care should be taken when handling hoses at the terminal. They should only be lifted on a spreader bar which provides 3-point support. They should never be lifted from a centrally-placed sling with flanges hanging down or from both flanges with the center hanging unsupported. Do not lift hoses with conventional fork lift trucks.