Innovo and Sparrows Present New Reel Drive System

Innovo and Sparrows have introduced a new Reel Drive System (RDS).

Innovo’s Innodrive 800T RDS can carry 800-ton reels in a sea state 8 and has a peak torque of 350 tons per meter at full speed.

This new addition to the fleet is designed to be fully integrated with the latest generation of Sparrows tensioners.

Approved by Lloyd’s Register (LR), the 800T RDS represents the latest of the large electrical RDSs introduced by Innovo over 10 years for laying or recovering flexible flowlines, umbilicals, mooring wires and power cables.

Andrea Tiberio, technical manager of Innovo, explained: “This latest RDS brings new possibilities to the market. It represents a milestone in the supply of back deck lay equipment in terms of performance and reliability. Innovo’s designers have worked closely with Sparrows and LR to offer a product that will allow our customers significant savings during operations due to greater efficiency and the removal of typical maintenance schedules of hydraulic equipment.”

Stewart Mitchell, CEO of Sparrows, said: “Our range of tensioners are suitable for product lay or recovery and, as OEM, are customisable to suit the project requirements. Working in partnership with Innovo ensures that our equipment can operate seamlessly together and provides our customers with a complete back-deck lay solution that’s suitable for the most demanding projects.”

Massimo Alvaro, vice president of supply chain assurance (BA&IS – Inspection) at LR, added: “We are thrilled to be part of this technical challenge and also proud for be the technical partner for Innovo and Sparrows. An 800-ton lifting capacity requires the highest attention to quality and safety through independent verification and surveillance which LR provides.”

The Innodrive 800T RDS will be available from October 2019.