MacGregor Presents Upgrade for Its Subsea Cranes

MacGregor, part of Cargotec, has launched a fibre-rope retrofit option for its subsea cranes.

According to MacGregor, the modular upgrade replaces the crane’s original steel wire rope with synthetic fibre rope, using the same technology as MacGregor’s fibre-rope crane, the FibreTrac 1500, which was introduced earlier this year.

“We are proud to introduce our fibre-rope retrofit option to the market. This unique system offers a good investment to our customers to expand their operational window,” says Alexander Nürnberg, senior vice president, Technology and R&D, MacGregor.

Fibre rope’s great advantage when used in this context is that it weighs virtually nothing in water, so regardless of the length of rope paid out; it does not add anything to the load experienced by the crane, the company explained.

“MacGregor is always searching for new solutions that deliver a competitive edge for our customers,” says Gaute Sjusdal, director of Advanced Offshore Solutions, Global Lifecycle Support at MacGregor. “By employing this fibre-rope technology, a crane is able to use its full lifting capacity at maximum depths, so a smaller crane and vessel can be used for more assignments. The fibre rope crane can lift loads at practically any depth that is required, allowing these vessels to bid on a wider range of contracts.”