Webtool unveils new cable cutter for severe conditions

The UK’s hydraulic subsea tools specialist Webtool has launched a new heavy-duty cutter, said to be designed to cut cable, umbilicals and risers in severe working conditions.

The Webtool HCV220 can be deployed subsea mounted on a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and as a deck-mounted cutter for planned production cutting.

It comprises a jaw containing a blade and anvil powered by an inbuilt pressure intensifier. Once the cable or umbilical is positioned in the jaw and the anvil closed, the guillotine blade is activated.

Weighing 320 kilograms in the air, the cutter uses 210 bar maximum input pressure. 

According to Webtool, unlike other cutting methods where there is a risk of the item flexing during cutting and either trapping or snapping the blade, closing the guillotine’s anvil locks the cable in position ensuring the cut is completed successfully.

The Webtool cutter can be used at any water depth, the company said, adding that an integrated interlock ensures that the blade cannot activate until the anvil is fully deployed, making it safe in low visibility environments.

“We now offer a range of heavy-duty cable and umbilical cutters that provide a safe and reliable method of cutting cables from 100mm up to 330mm diameter,” said Keith Elliot, managing director of Allspeeds. “The ease of deployment of the HCV220 makes is suitable for both offshore and subsea deployment as part of cable lay operations.”