Welcome to First Subsea Ltd

First Subsea Ltd is the UK's leading developer and supplier of Ballgrab® ball and taper-based connector technology for subsea mooring systems for deepwater platforms, Spars, FPSOs, and subsea field buoys.

First Subsea's Ballgrab connection system is currently used for subsea moorings, buoy pull-in tools, ROVless / diverless bend stiffener connectors for production risers and umbilicals, pipeline recovery tools, Autoswage® pipeline repair tools and hose connectors. More recently the company has entered the drilling equipment market with the development of ball and taper pipe casing handling tools.

Other markets for First Subsea's mooring connectors include marine energy moorings and handling solutions for wind, wave and tidal devices.

Deepwater Mooring Systems Go Deeper
 

With offshore production moving to increasingly deeper waters, the ease and speed of mooring installation has become critical. First Subsea is committed to offering operators and installation contractors mooring systems developed specifically to overcome these deepwater mooring challenges.

'Lean Installation' Connector Technology

First Subsea has developed the concept of 'Lean Installation' as a guiding principle in product development for its ball and taper connection systems.

'Lean Installation' applies 'Lean' principles to the installation of deepwater/ultra-deepwater mooring systems, for example, by reducing waste, adding value and improving processes. Cutting the size and number of installation vessels, and the time to complete the mooring installation, reduces waste.

It also involves looking for ways to add value by streamlining deployment and improving the quality and engineering integrity of the mooring process: in effect, transforming deepwater/ultra-deepwater mooring.

Quality Driven
 
As an ISO 9001 registered company, quality management, adherence to international standards and innovation in research and development are an essential part of the motivating force underpinning First Subsea's products and services.
 

World Class Metals Forging Research

First Subsea has undertaken the industry's first investigation into large-scale, steel forging manufacture in collaboration with the University of Sheffield's world class Institute for Microstructural and Mechanical Process Engineering (IMMPETUS).

Part-funded through the Knowledge Partnership Initiative, the two year project has determined the optimum forging and heat treatment process conditions needed to achieve consistent mechanical properties during forging of mooring connectors. The research enables naval architects to specify the mechanical performance of large scale forgings such as shackles and mooring connectors commonly used in mooring systems.

First Subsea is a member of the Subsea UK Trade Group and The Society for Underwater Technology.