News
Transfer Under Pressure (TUP) System from Submarine Manufacturing & Products now available
UK based Submarine Manufacturing & Products’ well established manufacturing and design teams have recognised the requirement of the next step to extended bottom times with air, nitrox and mixed gas diving with the ever increasing demands in the renewable, oil and gas sectors in the offshore industry.
SMP have developed a solution for a closed Bell TUP System which will be a unique one-off design available to interested parties. This system is configurable to client requirements on a short lead time.
The system provides a cost effective diving solution through increased bottom times for the diving teams. This provides the capability for the diving team to be working from a Schedule 6 type Bell whilst the second team will be in decompression after completing their bell diving operations.
This will mean continual productivity from the diving bell teams with less down time and smaller diving crews that would be utilised with normal air and nitrox diving.
The system utilises a minimum 4.5 m3 saturation diving bell which has the capability of bounce diving operations. This is critical to the utilisation of this system. The diving bell can be lowered to the seabed under atmospheric conditions. When the divers arrive at the work site the supervisors will have the capability to pressurise the diving bell equivalent to the work site depth which will allow the divers to exit the bell to proceed with their tasks. This can be a single diver or two diver lock out with a standby diver remaining in the bell.
On completion of the dive the divers will return to the diving bell where the doors will be sealed. At this stage the divers in the bell will start their decompression procedure. The bell will then be recovered to the surface with the divers continuing their decompression within this controlled atmosphere. The bell will be recovered by the handling system into the bell capture arrangement thereafter manipulated onto the bell handling trolley for mating to the divers transfer lock.
The above process allows for much greater productivity with diver’s bottom times, a more controlled and safer working environment and quicker and safer decompression procedures as opposed to the regularly used oxygen surface decompression procedure.
TUP System – Features and Specifications
Container:
- L : 40’ (12 mtr) x W: 11.8’ (3.5 mtr) x D: 11.8’ (3.5 mtr)
- Weight: 38,000 kgs
- 2 x Personnel Doors
- 2 x Heating and Air Conditioning Units
- 4 x Gas and Air Penetrator Plates
- 1 x Electrical Penetrator Plates
DDC and TUP:
- Side Mating Manway and End Mating to SDC (Bell)
- Divers Transfer Lock with toilet and shower facility
- 1.8 mtr Twin Lock Chamber for Diver’s Decompression Treatment
- Built in Master Control Panels
- Capacity for 8 persons in the Twin Lock Chamber and 3 persons in the DTL
- System currently rated to 50 mtr SWD but can be re-rated to 18 Bar 180 mtr (590 fsw)
- Medical Locks and Chamber and DTL
- Chamber and DTL outfitted with Comms, Lighting, Gas Analysis, CCTV Systems, Cooling/Heating, Scrubbers
Other Equipment:
- LP Air Storage System
- Fire Suppression System
- Electrical Breaker System
- Distribution Panel
- Transformers and Battery Back Up Supply
For more information on the TUP system please use the links below:
| General Technical Specification | |
| 6 Diver TUP System Concept Proposal Document | |
| View Product on the SMP Website |
Submarine Manufacturing & Products’ Sales Team and Technical Advisors from their UK office are available to offer help on any questions relating to this system. Call +44 (0)1772 687775 Mon – Fri (9am – 5pm GMT) or email sales@smp-ltd.co.uk.
Today we are diving one of the outer reefs from an inflatable. As we reach the bottom, a reef octopus eases its way into the cover of a small crack in the coral while displaying it’s incredible ability to change colour. They are arguably one of the most charismatic of reef dwellers and it is always exciting for me to simply hover and watch. I would have spent longer and waited for it to come and investigate me, but as dive time is limited we wanted to move on and find a turtle.
The waters around Somabay are well protected and hold a rich variety of marine life. The reef edges are thriving colonies of coral and shoaling fish, while nearer the sea bed plenty of wildlife is still to be found.
Then we located the turtles. They are very used to divers and so show little concern when slowly approached. In fact occasionally one will come over to see what you are doing. There is always huge excitement when diving with a turtle. The shear thrill of sharing a moment with another species.
What a fantastic way to finish a wonderful few days diving and I would like to thank SOMABAY, ORCA DIVING and THE BREAKERS for making my stay such a good one.
I had a great time, with diving everyday either on the house reef or on one of the offshore reefs by inflatable or larger day boat. Orca diving provided high quality equipment and facilities while the staff were all very friendly and welcoming. The Breakers was right on the coast with nice rooms, good food and once again friendly staff making the whole trip a real pleasure.
Soma Bay covers an entire peninsula and is home to several resorts as well as residential compounds.
As well as scuba diving, Somabay caters for many other sports and activities, and so is perfect for families as well as individuals and/or groups. And of course there is always time to lay peacefully on the beach under the Egyptian sun.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
Day three of my trip to Somabay and we were spending the day on the Lady Christina and diving on the wreck of the Salem Express.
Diving wrecks for me is always one of mixed emotions. The excitement of diving a wreck is more than often tempered by the thought of loss of life when she sank. The Salem Express was a passenger ship and a roll-on/roll-off ferry travelling from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Safaga, Egypt. Most passengers were of poor class travelling home from their holidays while around 150 people were returning home from their pilgrimage to Mecca.
The ship struck a reef and sank within 20 minutes. Passengers were trapped below deck and the ship was filled with fear and panic.
The wreck area is strewn with personal belongings from the crew and passengers such as a transistor radio and a flat iron for clothes. A diver at sometime has put them in a prominent place to be seen.
Tragically only one life boat was launched while the others went down with the ship. More than 600 men, women and children lost their lives here.
It’s a stark reminder that the sea can be unforgiving and so when we dive on such wrecks we should do so with humble regard.
Returning to the surface, shoals of fish are gathered under our boat and seem to be welcoming us back into the light.
Back at the Breakers I sat in the dining area with a beer and a very good meal while my thoughts still remained with the day’s dive on the Salem Express.
Check in for part 3 tomorrow for Jeff’s last day of diving with Somabay on the off-shore reefs looking for turtles.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
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