TIMBER REFIT
Timber Refit Decking System.
Aluminium refit decking, designed to top-install over your existing steel support frame. No scaffolding, no hot work offshore. 30+ refits delivered since 1990 for Shell, ADMA, ADOC and ZADCO.
25%
WEIGHT OF EQUIVALENT TIMBER
~3 days
TYPICAL RE-DECKING TIME
30+
REFITS SINCE 1990
Zero
HOT WORK OFFSHORE
WHY THIS EXISTS
If the deck is aluminium, the frame should be too.
Most offshore timber helidecks were built in the 1960s and 70s. Forty to fifty years of service later, the timber is at end-of-life and has been for some time. The steel support frames underneath them, in many cases, are still serviceable.
Full deck-and-frame replacement is the expensive answer. It also takes the platform offline for weeks, requires offshore hot work, and discards a perfectly good steel structure.
TRDS is the third option. Aluminium decking engineered to top-install over the existing frame, with no scaffolding, no hot work, and no replacement of structural steel that doesn't need replacing.
INSTALLATION METHOD
Five steps. Top-installed. No hot work.
Step 1
Remove the existing timber decking.
Step 2
Clean and paint the existing steel support frame.
Step 3
Apply self-adhesive neoprene tape to the top flange of the steel beams as a bi-metallic corrosion insulator. Tape supplied by us.
Step 4
Install the aluminium decking from the top in long lengths up to 12m, using the supplied clamping system.
Step 5
Apply paint markings per the supplied procedure.
ENGINEERING ADVANTAGES
Drop-in dimensions, Lego-fast install.
1. Direct dimensional match.
TRDS is extruded at 75mm and 100mm depths, the standard sizes for timber helideck planking. Tie-downs, edge details and interfaces on the original deck don't need to be re-engineered.
2. Lego-fast assembly
Long-length panels (up to 12m) and a top-installed clamping system mean a 22m deck can be re-decked in around three days, excluding timber removal.
3. Two configurations
Interlocked decking provides a more efficient landing surface. Side-by-side decking allows individual planks to be replaced without affecting neighbours. Specified per operator preference.
4. Maintenance free
Marine-grade aluminium decking, SS316 fasteners and hardware, marine neoprene seals. No painting, no corrosion management, no replanking.
SIZING
TRDS sized to your helicopter.
HELICOPTER
DECK DIAMETER
SUPPORT SPAN
TRDS VARIANT
S-76
16 m
2.0 m
TRDS75
AS332L2
19.5 m
2.0 m
TRDS100
AW139
16.7 m
2.0 m
TRDS100
S-61 / S-92
22.2 / 20.9 m
2.0 m
TRDS130
Design Standards
UKCAA CAP 437 / US RP 2L / ICAO Annex 14 · BS 8118 / Classification society requirements · Bespoke engineering to existing structure
Materials
Decking: AA6082-T6 marine alloy · Fasteners and hardware: SS316 (A4-70) · Seals: marine neoprene · Hatch hardware: SS316
Package Includes
TRDS75 / 100 / 130 decking (per sizing) · All clamps and fasteners · Sealing rails for butt-joint connections · Edge coaming and gutter extrusion · Marine neoprene tape · Tie-down points · Stairs (optional) · Full installation procedure and paint marking specification
Note: also available with water-spray DIFFS nozzles incorporated into either standard or Enhanced Safety® configuration.
SAFETY UPGRADE
TRDS, in Enhanced Safety® configuration.
For unmanned platforms, where firefighting capacity is limited and outside response is hours away, TRDS can be specified in Enhanced Safety® configuration. The same patented passive fire suppression system that underpins our XE flagship deck, applied to a refit programme.
No weight penalty. No installation difference. UKCAA CAP 437 (5th edition, Ch 5) specifically recommends Enhanced Safety mechanism on all unmanned-platform helidecks.
TRACK RECORD
30+ refits since 1990. Specified by operators who don't pick lightly.
Shell Group (which moved away from timber for environmental reasons in 1991), ADMA, ADOC, ZADCO and others have specified TRDS for refit programmes across three decades. Each programme has fed improvements back into the product.
Delivered to, among others
Enquiries
Planning a timber refit programme?
Tell us about the platform, helicopter type and the condition of the existing structure. We'll come back with budgetary numbers and a fabrication slot within two working days.
