Glasgow-based offshore handling system specialists, Caley Ocean Systems, and high performance rope manufacturers, Hampidjan from Iceland have formed a strategic alliance to bring, as they say, the benefits of steel-like fibre ropes to the offshore market.
While the general benefits of fibres ropes have long been appreciated concerns over handling, inspection, qualification and reliability have limited their application.
According to these two companies, they’ve been able to demonstrate that much of these concerns are ill founded. By exploiting the performance characteristics of Hampidjan’s patented DynIce rope construction, it’s possible to avoid specialist handling techniques and even replace wire rope on cranes and winches without significant modification.
“Current challenges in the offshore market mean that operators and installation contractors are looking to achieve more with less,” says Gregor McPherson , sales director, Caley Ocean Systems. “The deployment benefits of fibre rope are obvious where steel wire self-weight is an issue. A growing acceptance of steel-like fibre ropes will enable greater utility of existing heavy lift and deepwater handling systems.”