Aberdeen (UK)-based Submersible TV Surveys has standardised on Parker's high-integrity A-LOK tube fittings for its range of advanced ROVs (remote operated vehicles).

The fittings, which are the single most common component on these undersea vehicles, are essential for reliable operation and feature unique tube-gripping techniques that combat the high shear forces encountered in ROV operations, the company said in a release.

Tube fittings 'glue' together the hydraulic infrastructure of STVs, and several hundred are often needed for the latest highly complex machines with several multi-function manipulators.

The cost of any failure during service is invariably high, in terms of both downtime and, in the case of a hydraulic systems failure, the knock-on damage that seawater can cause to pumps and valves.

The ROV company first switched to Parker A-LOK compression tube fittings four years ago, following a recommendation from one of Parker's distributors, Hydrasun.

A key technical criterion for STS was the special anti-vibration measures employed in A-Lok's design.