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www.seadiscovery.com Marine Technology Reporter 11base allows the load to be equally dis- tributed to the deck beams of the ves- sel. Once the wheel base is installed and leveled, the center post is mount- ed to the wheel base. Rolled heavy- duty crane rail track is then posi-tioned on the wheel sets, and the pie-section turntable is fastened to thecenter post and track. The entire installation process takes just two to three days. The openness of the deck and frame design allows easy access to all turntable components for mainte-nance.Save Time, Money Traditionally, turntables for laying underwater cable are permanently mounted on vessels or barges. However, this limits a marine con- tractor's flexibility when it comes tohow it uses equipment. Vessels and barges with permanent turntables canonly serve a single purpose, and must be moved to the next job site, whether that's just down the coast or halfway around the world. The portable turntable solves this problem and provides added flexibility and cost-savings. All the contractor needsto do is rent a ?vessel of opportunity? at the job location, which simply hasto have adequate space on the deck for a turntable. The turntable itself is disassembled and removed from the vessel at the last job site and shipped by truck to the next job location, where it will be installed on the wait- ing vessel. The disassembly process takes only two to three days. The portability option also allows the contractor flexibility with thepurchasing and renting options for a vessel. No longer does the shipping company need to buy or rent a turntable-specific vessel. Any vessel with a deck surface large enough to hold the required turntable and cable reel will be sufficient. This alternative enables the contractor to rent, buy or lease a vessel that is much less expen- sive. Turntable Specs A recently delivered portable turntable was manufactured with adiameter of 39 ft. and a 500 metricMTR#1 (1-17):MTR Layouts 1/4/2012 2:07 PM Page 11