A sleeve 44 for use in protecting gripping elements of a clamp of a subsea laying system, the sleeve comprising: a tubular body portion 46; a tubular skirt 48 on an end of the body portion, aligned with the body portion along a common longitudinal axis 50 to define a lumen that extends continuously along the sleeve through the body portion and the skirt; and an internal seating formation 56 in the lumen between the body portion and the skirt. Aspects of the invention include a method of converting a subsea laying system of a surface vessel from a laying mode to an abandonment or recovery mode comprises clamping at least one tubular sleeve in at least one clamp of the laying system. A winch wire may then run longitudinally through the or each clamped sleeve when suspending an elongate subsea element such as a pipe string during abandonment or recovery operations. The sleeve protects gripping pads of the clamp from damage due to clashing with the wire, and so makes it unnecessary to remove the pads in preparation for abandonment or recovery.
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