Page 54 - SMI Issue 62

You couldn’t make it up. As “Timm’s solution was a high an overriding issue in the rope business –notably the dangers of snap-back. “During mooring operations, a ropewith elongation capacity recoils whenit snaps, posing a potential danger for handling crews. Low elongation ropes do not snap back, but they include a stretcher than can also recoil,” said Ms Aspelund.Timm is working with several partners at the testbench facility at its Slovakia- based factory to discover ways to prevent snap-back in conventional ropes.“We are very concerned about safety as snap-back can kill and there is currently no solution to the problem,” said Ms Aspelund.The facility is also used by solution- seeking owners and operators who need to make sure their rope applications meet OCIMF (Oil Companies International Marine Forum), CI (Certification International) andISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) certificates and type approval from the class society DNV GL.Many of today’s new-style ropes are more expensive than their conventionaltoday’s newbuilds – fromultra-large container ships (ULCSs) to giant tankers (ULCCs)and cruise ships – continue to swell in size, volume and capacity, the ropes and moorings that support them have become progressively lighter, slimmer and more flexible.The reason? The recent development of mooring ropes – made of such materials as High Modulus Polyethylene (HMPE) – which are both safer and four times as strong as the synthetic ropes that until recently were the products of choice for owners of the global shipping fleet.“HMPE has particularly attractive qualities for rope. When thebiggest cruise ship owners wanted conventional ropes, they had to be so big to handle the weight of the vessels that they were just too thick, heavy and hard to handle,” said Veronika Aspelund, Product Marketing Manager of Wilhelmsen Ship Services-owned ropemaker Timm Marine.performance HMPE called Acera “which is almost 60% thinner and so much lighter than traditional ropes that the crew can handle two at a time.”The Acera alternative has also speeded up a cruise ship’s mooring procedures allowing its crew to shut down the engines five minutes earlier than before, and at the same time saving up to $100,000 a year in fuel for the average vessel.“There are many factors that go into determining the proper rope for the job,” said Ms Aspelund.“Vessels are getting bigger, ships’ weights vary and there are special regulations for tankers and fuel terminals as well as new requirements for the expanded Panama Canal where steel rope is not acceptable as it is very hard and can potentially destroy equipment.”The weather also influences owners’ needs as some terminals and ports are more exposed to the elements than others, though the ropes that are available to owners are designed to meet every type of weather and eventuality. Safety is also52 | The Ship Supplier | Issue 70 2016RopesWhy it is vital for owners and operators to learn their lines