FEATURE
WINCHES & ROPES
"(Synthetic Rope) is as strong as steel wire, it floats, and it has enabled us to do some amazing things ... the tanker escorting business is built around these new ropes, as there's no way you could do it without them,"
said Tom Crowley Jr., owner Crowley Marine, in an interview with Maritime Reporter published in the March 2007 edition.
and synthetic webbing slings, the ropes have better operational advantages because during operation, especially when hooking up our sling to the lifting point, they can be handled manually." Handling was enhanced by other properties of the slings. For example, the Samson DPXTM technology gave the slings a higher coefficient of friction or more grip, which yielded in a shorter splice termination. In addition, the slings are neutrally buoyant in seawater, boosting productivity as well as worker safety. The lifting slings used for the job were fabricated by Gaylin International Pte Ltd (Singapore), using 120mm diameter Samson Quantum-8 synthetic ropes. Each sling was witness-tested by ABS. Yale Cordage, based in Saco, Maine, has been in the business of manufacturing ropes since 1950 when it was started by Sherman Yale as the Yale Braided Products Company. According to Richard Hildebrand, VP Sales, Yale Cordage, the company was founded based on Sherman's previous textile
industry experience and from working with nylon during WWII. Following the war, Yale envisioned the new fiber as a key component for a nice twine, and with the Maine Lobster industry as a ready customer, he introduced his nylon twine and touted its durability benefits. "The task of maintaining the cordage on the pots became a seasonal task instead of a weekly task," Hildebrand said. Today the company is still run by a Yale, the founder's son Tom, and according to Hildebrand, despite the wholesale changes in rope and component technology, the company's mandate stands firm: displace wire rope with synthetic rope. Yale has a history of innovation, and according to Hildebrand was the first to create a commercially available rope using Kevlar, at a time when many in the industry maintained that it could not be done. Today the company counts the marine and offshore industry for approximately 50 percent of its business, and overall it serves these markets: Utility & Industrial; Offshore Exploration; Racing/Sailboat; mooring
CNOOC's jacket with orange slings with Dyneema attached to it. The lifting slings used for the job were fabricatedby Gaylin International Pte Ltd (Singapore), using 120mm diameter Samson Quantum-8 synthetic ropes. Each sling was witness-tested by ABS. (Photo Credit: Dyneema)
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Maritime Reporter & Engineering News