With decades of experience supplying the Australian Defence Force with layflat hose and reel systems for its rapid refuelling projects, Crusader Hose put its expertise to the test when it was contracted to design and manufacture a ship-to-shore system for the South Korean Navy.
After 18 months of development, the Maritime Fuel Hose System™ represents a state-of-the-art solution, solidifying Crusader Hose’s position among the top fuel handling system manufacturers in the Southern Hemisphere.
The military depends on efficient and portable fuel distribution systems for rapid refuelling, including flexible layflat hose, collapsible fuel bladder tanks, pump systems, and tactical refuelling vehicles. These systems allow for quick, reliable fuel delivery to aircraft, vehicles and ships, ensuring continuous operations without long delays. Flexibility, durability, and speed are essential in critical mission situations.
Crusader Hose has both the experience and know-how of over 21 years in supplying the Australian Defence Force (ADF) with rapid refuelling layflat hose and reel systems. When the South Korean Navy needed a ship-to-shore fuel transfer system, its agent sought Crusader Hose for its expert skill in design and manufacturing capabilities. Months of discussions led to the development of a blueprint for a customised system.
A year later, Crusader Hose’s top engineers, fabricators, and production crew proudly delivered the revolutionary Maritime Fuel Hose System.
The brief
The transportation of fuel to remote island locations poses several significant challenges. The Korean Navy required a bulk fuel transfer system to solve the logistical complexity of transporting fuel from a ship to a potential beachhead and then further overland to a refuelling station.
This system had to provide all-weather resilience in the 2km littoral zone (the shallow waters between the ship and the shore) while also providing a reliable method for further distributing the fuel over undulating and challenging terrain. In addition to these requirements, the system had to be easy to transport, provide rapid deployment and recovery, and the pipeline robust enough to tolerate harsh conditions.
Why Crusader Hose
Given Crusader Hose’s proven track record of supplying layflat hose and reel systems to the military, it is logical that it was the trusted choice to fulfil the Navy’s demands.
Crusader Hose has a long history with the ADF. In 2003, Crusader Hose designed and manufactured a fuel logistics solution to assist the ADF in its peacekeeping efforts in East Timor.
The Timor Reel System consisted of a skid-based reel system with interchangeable spools that could deploy 800m lengths of custom-designed flexible layflat Petroline® hose. It is still in use today, as its efficiencies are demonstrated by a small platoon deploying a 15km flexible pipeline in just one day. For the past two decades, the ADF has relied on the high-quality layflat hose systems by Crusader Hose and is currently conducting another joint project modernising their critical fuel support system over the next three years.
The reputation of Crusader Hose has drawn the attention of other defence force services. In 2018, the Enhanced Air Cooperation Refuelling Project between the US Marines and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) included the use of Petroline for the refuelling of the US Osprey helicopters from the Australian Hercules, thereby increasing the RAAF’s interoperability. This endorsement stands as a genuine testament to the excellence of Australian manufacturing.
The Maritime Fuel Hose System
The system is custom-designed and consists of two Busan Reel Systems, one land-based customised Argyle Reel System, with a total of 4km of Petroline layflat hose. Each Busan Reel System stands around four cubic metres square, showcasing advanced design and craftsmanship. Placed onto a barge and sent between the ship and the shore, each Busan Reel deploys 1500m of Petroline: one to the ship and the other to the shore.
Fuel from the ship is then pumped across the barge to the shore, filling bladder tanks. From there, the land-based Argyle Reel deploys the Petroline pipeline to the fuel farm. The Argyle Reel System is an agile system that holds up to 200m of hose per crate. The interchangeable crates allow pipelines of any required length to be constructed.
The efficiency of the layflat hose system is remarkable. The hose from the two Reel Systems can be deployed in about one hour. This enables pumping from the fuel ship in as little as two to three hours, allowing the transfer of megalitres to the beachhead. The six-inch Petroline layflat pipeline can move over two million litres of fuel per day. The Maritime Fuel Hose System can operate in very shallow waters with minimal seabed disturbance. This helps protect sensitive marine ecosystems.
Pipelines over water
Many factors contribute to the success of a sea-based pipeline, with compactness and flotation being significant advantages when using layflat hose. Layflat hose, when wound onto reels, takes up minimal space compared to rigid pipes of similar capacity. This is particularly crucial when space is restricted, such as on a sea-based vessel. As layflat hose floats, flotation devices are only required around the couplings and not along the full length. A simple anchoring system assists in maintaining the pipeline’s position.
Successful sea-based pipelines require the ability to withstand the flux of directional waves, wave swell, and wave height. These factors are tabled according to the severity of waves in the Beaufort Wind Force Scale from zero-12, described as sea states, with zero referring to calm waters. The Busan Reel Systems have been designed to tolerate the full scale up to sea state 12, hurricane force.
Versatility of layflat hose
Flexibility, durability, and ease of use are the hallmarks of layflat hose, making them versatile and popular across many industries: agriculture, mining, municipal water supply, firefighting, and construction. Applications include irrigation, dewatering, potable water bypass, and high-pressure water pumping. Layflat hose is highly portable and easy to store. Its flexible nature allows it to be easily rolled up, transported, and deployed for short- or long-term projects. Layflat hose is durable and can withstand abrasion and environmental factors such as UV exposure and extreme temperatures. Couplings and clamps of various types can be fitted to suit the application.
The fabrication of layflat hose
Crusader Hose manufactures its hose in its ISO 9001:2015 certified factory. The weaving looms produce the textile reinforcement with interlocking warp and weft polyester yarns. This method creates a hose with a high-burst pressure of up to 80 bar and high end-pull ratings. The hose is extruded with thermoplastic polyurethane, making it impermeable, UV-stabilised, and abrasion-resistant. The Petroline hose incorporates this innovative technology, including an additional anti-static wire to ground the entire pipeline length.
Benefits of reel systems
Crusader Hose showcases its engineering ingenuity through its reel systems. These systems, designed in consultation with key industries, reduce the need for manual handling, enhance safety, and improve operations. Versatile in their use, Crusader Hose reel systems can also be used for winding cables or rope.
Crusader Hose has revolutionised ship-to-shore bulk fuel distribution with its cutting-edge Maritime Fuel Hose System. Undeniably, this system delivers outstanding performance with minimal effort, offering increased efficiency, strategic flexibility, and operational continuity.
With its innovative approach and engineering expertise, Crusader Hose can be trusted to meet all pumping and pipeline requirements for overland, maritime, and high mine pit wall projects.
For more information, visit the company website.
This feature also appears in the November edition of The Australian Pipeliner.
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