The present invention relates to a deployment method to deploy a cable from a vessel having a deck and a waterline, as well as to a cable deployment system for a vessel.

Methods to deploy a cable from a vessel are known. The present invention has as one of its objectives to provide an improved method to deploy a cable from a vessel.

Thereto the present invention provides a deployment method to deploy a cable from a vessel having a deck and a waterline as defined in claim 1. The deployment method according to the invention comprises: providing a cable holder having an arc-shaped cable accommodation, the arc-shape defining a cable accommodation plane; accommodating a cable in the cable

accommodation; displacing the cable holder along a downward oriented deployment path that extends downward from the deck towards the waterline; and during displacement of the cable holder along the deployment path keeping the cable accommodation plane aligned with a portion of the cable extending from the cable holder.

Here, BE-550729 is acknowledged which relates to a method and a system for deploying subsea cable, where an arced chariot (berceau) 5 accommodates a cable connector (repeteur) 2 in a line of a cable 1 , when the cable 1 is deployed from a ship over a pulley 4. Further, US-2812640 and GB-1023398 are acknowledged for similar reasons.

The deployment method according to the invention prevents excessive bending of the portion of the cable extending from the cable holder during deployment of the cable. The latter in particular by keeping the cable accommodation plane aligned with the portion of the cable extending from the cable holder during displacement of the cable holder along a deployment path from the deck towards the water line. Therein, at least the features defined in the appended independent method claim are novel and impart an inventive step on the present disclosure in view of the aforementioned problems with cable bending.

Embodiments of the deployment method according to the present invention that have advantageous features are defined in dependent method claims 2 to 13.

In system claim 14 a cable deployment system for a vessel according to the invention is defined. The cable deployment system for a vessel according to the invention is in particular configured for performing the method according to the invention to deploy a cable from a vessel. Brief description of the figures

The accompanying drawings are used to illustrate a non-limitative preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The above staled and other advantages, features and objectives of the invention will become more apparent, and the invention better understood, from the following detailed description when read in combination with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

- figures 1 A and IB show an embodiment of a cable deployment system for a vessel according to the invention in a schematic sectional view and in a schematic top view, respectively;

- figures 2 to 8 show in a schematic sectional view respective steps in an embodiment of the deployment method according to the invention executed by means of the cable deployment system of figures lA and IB. Detailed description of the figures

Figures 1 to 6 are illustrative of an exemplary embodiment of the deployment method according to the present invention. Each of the figures 1 to 6 show the stern 1 of a vessel. The vessel has a hull 3, a deck 5, and a waterline wl.

In figures 1A and IB is shown that on the deck 5 of the vessel a cable holder 7 is provided. The cable holder 7 has an arc-shaped cable accommodation 9 embodied by a cable channel 11 that extends along a semi-circular arc. Such a cable holder is known as a quadrant, in figures 1A and IB a cable 13 is accommodated in the cable accommodation 9, i.e. in the cable channel 1 1. As shown in figure IB, the cable 13 exits the cable channel 11 at two cable exit locations embodied by two ends 1 1a, 1 lb of the cable channel 11. From both ends 11a, 1 lb of the cable channel 1 1 , the cable 13 extends from the cable holder 7 over a respective cable chute 15a, 15b towards the waterline wl and into the water 17. Each cable chute 15a, 15b provides cable support surface 19a, 19b that extends downward from the deck 5 towards the waterline wl. In figures 1A and IB thus are illustrative of the steps of the method according to the present invention of providing a cable holder 7 having an arc-shaped cable accommodation 9 and accommodating a cable 13 in the cable accommodation 9.

In figure 1A the cable holder 7 is in a lying orientation on de deck 5. The arc-shape of the cable accommodation 9 defines a cable accommodation plane pi . The cable accommodation plane p i is in the shown exemplary embodiment defined by the inner surface 12a of the one of the two side walls 12, 14, of the cable channel 1 1 on which inner surface 12a the cable 13 rests in the shown lying orientation of the cable holder 7.

Figure 1A shows a section of the cable chute 15 along a section plane p2 in figure IB that is perpendicular to the cable accommodation plane i in figure 1A. This section plane is here referred to as cable support plane p2. As shown in figure 1 A, the cable support surface 19a is arced in the cable support plane p2. In particular, the cable support surface 19a defines a part-circular arc in the cable support plane p2. The circular arc has a centre 21. The cable support surface 19b defines a corresponding circular arc in a cable support plane p3 that is parallel to the cable support plane p2. In the shown embodiment, the cable support surfaces 19a, 19b each define a part-circular arc that extends over 90° of a circle, but the scope of the present disclosure is by no means limited to this value. At the deck 5 end of the cable support surfaces 19a, 19b, the cable support surfaces are parallel to the deck 5. At the waterline end of the cable support surfaces 19a, 19b, the cable support surfaces 19a, 19b are perpendicular to the deck 5.

In figure 1A the cable holder 7 is in a lying orientation on de deck 5. In figure 1A the cable holder 7 is arranged such that the cable accommodation plane pi is tangent to the cable support surfaces 19a, 19b at the deck end thereof. The portions of the cable 13 that extend from the cable holder 7 at both ends 11a, l ib of the cable channel 1 1 contact the respective cable support surfaces 19a, 19b at the deck end thereof. Since in the lying orientation of the cable holder shown in figures 1A, the cable accommodation plane pi defined by the cable accommodation 9 is tangent to the cable support surfaces 19a, 19b, the cable accommodation plane pi is aligned with the portions of the cable 13 extending from the cable holder 7. In particular the cable accommodation plane pi is aligned with the portions of the cable 13 extending from the cable holder 7, such that the central longitudinal axes of the portions of the cable 13 extending from the cable holder 7 to the location where the cables contact the cable support surfaces 19a, 19b are parallel to the cable

accommodation plane pi .

In figures 1A and IB is shown that the cable holder 7 is arranged on a deployment frame 23. The deployment frame 23 is rotatable relative to the hull 3 about an axis of rotation R that coincides with the centre 21 of the part-circular arc defined by the respective cable support surfaces 19a, 19b.

By means of figures 2 to 5 is illustrated that for deploying cable 13, the cable holder 7 is displaced along a downward oriented deployment path that extends downward from the deck 5 towards the waterline wl. The cable holder 7 is displaced along the downward oriented deployment path by rotating the deployment frame 23 having arranged thereon the cable holder 7 about the axis of rotation R in the direction of arrow A. The downward oriented deployment path of the cable holder 7 includes a displacement along the arced cable support surfaces 19a, 19b, of the cable chutes 15a, 15b, as well as a rotation of the cable holder 7 about the centre 21 of the circular arcs defined by the cable support surfaces 19a, 19b.

As shown in figures 2 to 5, during displacement of the cable holder 7 along the downward oriented deployment path the cable accommodation plane pi is kept aligned with the portions of the cable 13 extending from the cable holder 7. In particular, during displacement of the cable holder 7 along the downward oriented deployment path, the cable accommodation plane pi is kept tangent to the cable support surfaces 19a, 19b. As a result, the central longitudinal axes of the portions of the cable 13 extending from the cable holder 7 to the location L where the cables contact the cable support surfaces 19a, 19b are kept parallel to the cable accommodation plane pi during displacement of the cable holder 7 along the downward oriented deployment path. The cable accommodation plane pi is kept tangent to the cable support surfaces 19a, 19b, by rotating the cable holder 7 about the centre 21 of the circular arcs defined by the cable support surfaces 19a. 19b. while displacing the cable holder 7 along the arced cable support surfaces 19a, 19b. In the shown exemplary embodiment, the deployment frame 23 is configured such that rotation of the deployment frame 23 about the axis of rotation R with the cable holder 7 arranged thereon results in the cable accommodation plane pi being kept tangent to the cable support surfaces 19a, 19b.

As shown in figures 2 to 5, by displacement along the downward oriented deployment path the cable holder 7 is displaced from a lying orientation on the deck 5, shown in figure 1, into an upright orientation above the waterline wl, shown in figure 5.

As shown in figures 2 to 5, a pulley 25 of a winch and rope system is arranged in the deployment frame 23. Over the pulley 25 is arranged a wire rope 27 that is at one end thereof connected to the cable holder 7, and that is at the other end thereof (not shown) arranged on a winch of the winch and rope system.

Before displacing the cable holder 7 from the lying orientation into the upright orientation, the cable holder 7 is coupled to the deployment frame 23, such that the cable holder 7 does not slide off the deployment frame 23 during displacement without using the winch and rope system. As shown in figures 2 to 5, this allows for keeping the wire rope 27 slack during displacement of the cable holder 27 along the deployment path between the lying orientation on the deck 5 and the upright orientation above the waterline wl. After displacing the cable holder 27 along the deployment path between the lying orientation on the deck 5 and the upright orientation above the waterline wl, the wire rope 27 is pulled tight and the cable holder 7 is uncoupled from the deployment frame 23. Subsequently, the deployment frame 23 is rotated about the axis of rotation R, such that, as shown in figure 6, the lower part of the cable holder 7 comes away from the deployment frame 23 while the cable holder 7 suspends from the wire rope 27.

Subsequently, as illustrated by figures 7 and 8, the cable holder 27 is lowered into the water 17 in the direction of arrow B by paying out the wire rope 27 using the winch of the winch and rope system. The cable holder 27 is lowered from the deployment frame 23 toward a cable release location under water 17. At the cable release position, the cable 13 is released from the cable holder 7. After releasing the cable 13, the cable holder 7 is lifted in upward direction indicated by arrow C by pulling in the wire rope 27 using the winch of the winch and rope system, into the position of the cable holder 7 shown in figure 6. Subsequently, the deployment steps described under reference to figures 2 to 6 are executed in opposite order thereby displacing the cable holder 7 from its upright orientation above the waterline into its lying position on the deck 5 by rotating the deployment frame 23 about the axis of rotation R in opposite direction indicated by arrow D in figure 6.

In the figures, the cable holder is displaced along the downward oriented path by means of a deployment frame. Alternatively, the cable holder is displaced along the downward oriented path by means of another displacement arrangement.

Although the principles of the invention have been set forth above with reference to specific embodiments, it must be understood that this description is given solely by way of example and not as limitation to the scope of protection, which is defined by the appended claims.