Leading offshore handling system specialists, Caley Ocean Systems, Scotland and high performance rope manufacturers, Hampidjan, Iceland have formed a strategic alliance to bring the benefits of steel-like fiber ropes to the offshore market. 

While the general benefits of fibers ropes have long been appreciated concerns over handling, inspection, qualification and reliability have limited their application. Caley and Hampidjan have been able to demonstrate that much of these concerns are ill founded. By exploiting the performance characteristics of Hampidjan’s patented DynIce rope construction, made from Dyneema® , 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 fiber rope are obvious where steel wire self-weight is an issue. A growing acceptance of steel-like fiber ropes will enable greater utility of existing heavy lift and deepwater handling systems.”

Steel-like rope increases the opportunities for synthetic fiber rope in conventional heavy lift and deepwater deployment systems like the one shown here.  Caley is presenting details of steel-like ropes in its paper entitled ‘Developments in Deepwater Installation Systems’ at OTC 2015, Houston; and is in the midst of a series of client specific presentations on the handling benefits.