Elmeridge Cables Delivers Deep‑Water CTD Cables for British Antarctic Survey
Elmeridge Cables Limited (ECL), based in the U.K., recently delivered two major cable contracts for the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). The projects support Royal Research Survey (RRS) vessels that operate in some of the world’s harshest marine environments.
Learn more about Elmeridge Cables at https://www.elmeridge.com and British Antarctic Survey at https://www.bas.ac.uk.
Double‑Armored CTD Cables for Polar Research Vessels
BAS asked Elmeridge Cables to supply two lengths of double‑armored CTD (conductivity, temperature, and depth) cable for its research fleet. One contract covered a single 8,000‑meter cable for the RRS James Clark Ross, while the other supplied a single 10,000‑meter cable for the RRS Sir David Attenborough.
Both vessels operate in extremely sensitive, often severe weather conditions, so Elmeridge had to ensure flawless production and performance.
Strict Technical Requirements and Custom Engineering
BAS required that the Galvanized Improved Plow Steel (GIPS) armor wires remain completely free of grease or oil to prevent slippage on the winch during deployment and recovery. Elmeridge Cables committed to this specification and engineered the cables accordingly.
In addition, BAS defined strict drum specifications, including drum diameter, width, and even the spindle hole size, so crews could load and unload the drums directly to and from the winches on both vessels. Elmeridge worked within these tight parameters to deliver reliable, mission‑critical CTD cable systems.
