Offshore cable
Offshore and marine cable to NEK TS 606 and IEC 60092 for platforms, drill ships, FPSOs and vessels. The NEK 606 types are halogen-free, flame-retardant and resistant to oil and drilling mud. RFOU and RU for ordinary circuits, the fire-resistant BFOU and BU with a mica barrier for emergency and safety systems, plus instrumentation and medium-voltage variants. Alongside them, Type P to IEEE 1580, for power, control and measuring signals. Q Cables supplies to order, with the lead time stated in the quote.
Types in this category
RFOU 0.6/1 kV
NEK 606 offshore power cable, halogen-free, braid armoured
Lead time: On request; the lead time is stated in the quote.
BFOU 0.6/1 kV
NEK 606 offshore fire-resistant power cable, halogen-free, braid armoured
Lead time: On request; the lead time is stated in the quote.
RU 0.6/1 kV
NEK 606 offshore power cable, halogen-free, unarmoured
Lead time: On request; the lead time is stated in the quote.
BU 0.6/1 kV
NEK 606 offshore fire-resistant power cable, halogen-free, unarmoured
Lead time: On request; the lead time is stated in the quote.
RFOU 6/10 kV
NEK 606 offshore medium-voltage power cable, halogen-free, braid armoured
Lead time: On request; the lead time is stated in the quote.
RFOU(c) 250 V
NEK 606 offshore instrumentation cable, collective screen
Lead time: On request; the lead time is stated in the quote.
RFOU(i) 250 V
NEK 606 offshore instrumentation cable, individually screened pairs
Lead time: On request; the lead time is stated in the quote.
BFOU(c) 250 V
NEK 606 offshore fire-resistant instrumentation cable, collective screen
Lead time: On request; the lead time is stated in the quote.
BFOU(i) 250 V
NEK 606 offshore fire-resistant instrumentation cable, individually screened pairs
Lead time: On request; the lead time is stated in the quote.
UX
NEK 606 offshore earthing conductor, halogen-free, unsheathed
Lead time: On request; the lead time is stated in the quote.
BS 6883
Offshore EPR flexible power & control cable, 0.6/1 kV
Lead time: On request; the lead time is stated in the quote.
Type P power
IEEE 1580 offshore power cable, XLPO, unarmoured, bronze braid armoured (B) or armoured and sheathed (BS), 0.6/1 kV
Lead time: On request; the lead time is stated in the quote.
Type P control
IEEE 1580 offshore control cable, 4 to 91 cores, XLPO, unarmoured, bronze braid armoured (B) or armoured and sheathed (BS), 0.6/1 kV
Lead time: On request; the lead time is stated in the quote.
Type P instrumentation pairs
IEEE 1580 offshore instrumentation cable, individually screened pairs, XLPO, unarmoured, B or BS, 0.6/1 kV
Lead time: On request; the lead time is stated in the quote.
Type P instrumentation triads
IEEE 1580 offshore instrumentation cable, individually screened triads, XLPO, unarmoured, B or BS, 0.6/1 kV
Lead time: On request; the lead time is stated in the quote.
What NEK 606 stands for
NEK TS 606 is the Norwegian specification for cable on offshore oil and gas installations. The cable is also used on FPSOs and ships; class-approved marine cable follows IEC 60092. NEK TS 606 builds on IEC 60092 and sets strict requirements for fire behaviour, halogen-free properties and resistance to drilling mud. The types cover power, lighting, control and instrumentation in both safe and hazardous areas, up to and above 1 kV.
The designations follow a fixed pattern. RFOU and BFOU are the braid-armoured versions; BU and RU are unarmoured. The suffix (c) means a collective screen and (i) an individual screen per pair or triad, common on the 250 V signal types.
Fire, halogen-free and drilling mud
On a platform or ship, every detail of fire behaviour counts. The NEK 606 cables are flame-retardant to IEC 60332-3 (bunched test) and halogen-free to IEC 60754, with low smoke emission to IEC 61034. The thermoset outer sheath (SHF2) resists oil and drilling mud. For circuits with circuit integrity choose the fire-resistant B-types BFOU and BU (mica barrier, IEC 60331-21); RFOU and RU are flame-retardant, not fire-resistant.
Type P to IEEE 1580
Type P is a flexible offshore and marine cable to IEEE 1580, listed to UL 1309 / CSA 245 as Type X110. The cores are flexible stranded tinned copper with XLPO insulation, and the sizes are in AWG and kcmil, with the mm² given for each size. There are three versions: unarmoured, with a bronze braid (B) and with braid and outer sheath (BS). Only BS is suitable for Class I Division 1 and Zone 1. There are four types: Type P power for supply, Type P control for control circuits, and Type P instrumentation pairs and Type P instrumentation triads for measuring signals. The datasheet does not state that the sheath is halogen-free: if the specification calls for halogen-free, choose a NEK 606 type.
Project supply
Offshore cable is often ordered in project quantities with a fixed length breakdown. Send the cable list with types, configurations and lengths, and we fix the distribution across drums and the delivery dates up front, then deliver in phases on call-off.
| Type | Voltage | CPR | Standard | Conductor | Availability and lead time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RFOU 0.6/1 kV | 0.6/1 kV | - | NEK TS 606 | Tinned annealed stranded circular copper, class 2 acc. to IEC 60228. Class 5 (flexible) on request | On request The lead time is stated in the quote. |
| BFOU 0.6/1 kV | 0.6/1 kV | - | NEK TS 606 | Tinned annealed stranded circular copper, class 2 acc. to IEC 60228. Class 5 (flexible) on request | On request The lead time is stated in the quote. |
| RU 0.6/1 kV | 0.6/1 kV | - | NEK TS 606 | Tinned annealed stranded circular copper, class 2 acc. to IEC 60228 | On request The lead time is stated in the quote. |
| BU 0.6/1 kV | 0.6/1 kV | - | NEK TS 606 | Tinned annealed stranded circular copper, class 2 acc. to IEC 60228 | On request The lead time is stated in the quote. |
| RFOU 6/10 kV | 6/10 (12) kV | - | NEK TS 606 | Tinned annealed stranded circular copper, class 2 acc. to IEC 60228 | On request The lead time is stated in the quote. |
| RFOU(c) 250 V | 150/250 V | - | NEK TS 606 | Tinned annealed stranded copper, class 2 acc. to IEC 60228. Class 5 (flexible) on request | On request The lead time is stated in the quote. |
| RFOU(i) 250 V | 150/250 V | - | NEK TS 606 | Tinned annealed stranded copper, class 2 acc. to IEC 60228. Class 5 (flexible) on request | On request The lead time is stated in the quote. |
| BFOU(c) 250 V | 150/250 V | - | NEK TS 606 | Tinned annealed stranded copper, class 2 acc. to IEC 60228. Class 5 (flexible) on request | On request The lead time is stated in the quote. |
| BFOU(i) 250 V | 150/250 V | - | NEK TS 606 | Tinned annealed stranded copper, class 2 acc. to IEC 60228. Class 5 (flexible) on request | On request The lead time is stated in the quote. |
| UX | 0.6/1 kV | - | NEK TS 606 | Tinned annealed stranded circular copper, class 2 acc. to IEC 60228 | On request The lead time is stated in the quote. |
| BS 6883 | 0.6/1 kV | - | BS 6883 | Tinned annealed stranded circular copper, class 2 acc. to IEC 60228 (class 5 flexible for the smallest sizes / on request) | On request The lead time is stated in the quote. |
| Type P power | 0.6/1 kV | - | IEEE 1580 Type P / UL 1309 | Soft annealed, flexible stranded tinned copper acc. to IEEE 1580 Table 11; strand counts per size in the conductor table | On request The lead time is stated in the quote. |
| Type P control | 0.6/1 kV | - | IEEE 1580 Type P / UL 1309 | Soft annealed, flexible stranded tinned copper acc. to IEEE 1580 Table 11; 19 strands in all three sizes | On request The lead time is stated in the quote. |
| Type P instrumentation pairs | 0.6/1 kV | - | IEEE 1580 Type P / UL 1309 | Soft annealed, flexible stranded tinned copper acc. to IEEE 1580 Table 11; 19 strands in 18, 16 and 14 AWG | On request The lead time is stated in the quote. |
| Type P instrumentation triads | 0.6/1 kV | - | IEEE 1580 Type P / UL 1309 | Soft annealed, flexible stranded tinned copper acc. to IEEE 1580 Table 11; 19 strands in 18 and 16 AWG | On request The lead time is stated in the quote. |
What is the difference between RFOU and BFOU?
BFOU is the fire-resistant version of RFOU: a mica-glass tape over the conductors maintains circuit integrity in a fire (IEC 60331-21). RFOU is flame-retardant but not fire-resistant. Choose BFOU for emergency and safety circuits; send the requirement and we confirm the right type.
Does (i) mean individually screened?
Yes. (i) means an individual screen per pair or triad, (c) a collective screen over all elements. An individual screen limits crosstalk between signals; a collective screen protects the bundle as a whole.
Are these cables suitable for hazardous areas?
NEK 606 cable is used in both safe and hazardous areas on offshore installations. Final suitability depends on the installation design and certification; when the project calls for it, we arrange the datasheet and certificates so you can substantiate the choice.
Why not every cable has a CPR class
Which cables fall outside EN 50575, why that differs from Fca, and what to report back when the specification demands a class for a type that has none.
Read the article →Instrumentation cable: PiMF, TiMF and screening
When individual screening pays off and when a collective screen is enough.
Read the article →Fire resistant or flame retardant: what is the difference?
Four properties that get mixed up in specifications: flame retardant, fire resistant, halogen-free and the CPR class.
Read the article →Quote
Request offshore cable
Send the cable list with types, configurations, voltage and lengths. We will let you know quickly what we can supply, with the lead time and a length breakdown per drum.
Not seeing what you need? Just ask. Our range goes well beyond this list.