Neutrally Buoyant ROV Tether Cable – Cat5e FTP

Neutrally Buoyant ROV Tether Cable for Underwater Ethernet

This neutrally buoyant ROV tether cable is a compact 30 V Cat5e FTP data cable for remotely operated vehicles, underwater cameras, marine inspection equipment and subsea research systems. Its foamed jacket is designed to bring the finished cable density close to seawater, reducing the downward pull created by a conventional dense cable and helping a small ROV manoeuvre with less tether-induced load.

The page covers a four-pair Ethernet construction intended for communication and control links. Neutral buoyancy is a system requirement rather than a colour or jacket description: the final target must be agreed for fresh water or seawater, cable length, connector mass and deployment arrangement. This product is not presented as a load-bearing tow cable or as a power-and-fibre hybrid.

• Suitable for: ROV Ethernet, video, telemetry and control-data links.
• Confirm before ordering: water type, tether length, buoyancy tolerance, connector and termination.
• Choose another construction when: the cable must carry towing load, deliver substantial vehicle power or include optical fibre.

Compare the wider marine and offshore cable range or review the subsea cable selection routes for hybrid and load-bearing alternatives.

Construction

The cable uses eight bare-copper conductors arranged as four colour-coded twisted pairs. HDPE insulation and the FTP screen support the Cat5e signal construction, while the foamed TPU outer jacket provides the low-density layer used to target neutral buoyancy.

What the foam layer changes

The foam structure reduces the bulk density of the jacket so the completed cable can be balanced against water displacement. Final buoyancy depends on the complete manufactured cable and termination system; specify the water type and acceptable net buoyancy per metre with the RFQ.

Applications

This four-pair Cat5e tether is intended for ROV and subsea equipment that needs a compact copper Ethernet or data connection with controlled in-water behaviour.

• Observation and inspection-class remotely operated vehicles
• Underwater cameras, IP video links and telemetry
• Marine hull, pipeline and infrastructure inspection systems
• Oceanographic instruments and research ROVs
• Offshore monitoring and low-voltage subsea control-data links

Selection boundaries

• The supplied rating is 30 V; do not treat this data tether as a general vehicle power umbilical.
• No breaking load, working load, depth rating or dynamic bend radius was supplied. Do not use the cable as the primary towing, suspension or lifting member without an approved project construction.
• Confirm fresh water or seawater, current, tether length, flow conditions, reel or free-swimming duty and connector weight because each affects system behaviour.

Specifications

Data needed for final selection

Confirm the Ethernet interface, maximum channel length, connector pinout, water type, operating depth, tether-management method, bending geometry and required completed-cable tests before production.

Standards

The supplied product information identifies this construction as Cat5e FTP and lists CE, RoHS and REACH compliance. These references apply to the confirmed product construction and documentation package.

State the required declaration, inspection report, Ethernet channel test and completed-cable buoyancy test in the purchase specification.