This article originally appeared in the March/April 2025 Issue of Wire Rope Exchange. Photo above courtesy of Lankhorst Ropes.

BY: Mike Chalmers

Once relegated to niche applications, synthetic rope has emerged as a powerful force in the lifting and rigging industry, challenging the long-standing dominance of traditional steel wire rope. Lighter, safer to handle, and increasingly engineered to rival steel in strength and durability, synthetic rope is no longer just a modern alternative—it’s becoming a mainstay across the offshore, marine, construction, and energy sectors.

Driven by breakthroughs in high-performance fibers and coatings, and now touched by smart technologies like embedded sensors and AI-assisted load monitoring, synthetic products are evolving rapidly. Yet the transition isn’t without friction. Questions remain around lifecycle costs, resistance to wear, and how synthetics perform under extreme conditions. And while innovation surges forward, adoption has not been universal—wire rope still commands loyalty, especially where legacy infrastructure and regulatory standards reign.

As the line between tradition and transformation continues to shift, one thing is clear: synthetics are no longer the future—they’re very much part of the present. The real question is how far they’ll go.

Mike Poroo, Founder and President at Scope, as well as current Associated Wire Rope Fabricators (AWRF) President, doesn’t see synthetics as a simple replacement for steel. “Honestly, I don’t see fiber ever replacing wire rope completely,” he said. “Wire rope remains a tried-and-true product that works quite well in so many applications.”

Still, he readily acknowledges that synthetic rope has carved a significant place for itself—and continues to grow in usage and credibility. “An immediate benefit—it’s lighter,” he said. “That means it’s easier and less expensive to move between projects. For buyers or end-users focused on safety, or looking to reduce rig-up/rig-down time, that can be a major advantage.”

Poroo pointed out that lift planning increasingly involves the use of smaller cranes to rig larger cranes—making sling weight a real factor. “In addition, you can see design advantages when dealing with smaller D/d ratios, buoyancy control for subsea applications, or even lifts exposed to abnormally high temperatures.”

That said, he admitted, synthetic rope has made strides across nearly every industry. “I’d be hard-pressed to describe a sector where it hasn’t found a home. However, steel is still steel. Wire rope has an undeniable toughness. It’s just harder to cut or crush than most fibers used in lifting.”

For Greg D’Elia, Vice President of Engineering and Quality at Slingmax Rigging Solutions and Yale Cordage, the evolution of synthetics is evident in everything from winch systems to precast construction. “Offshore and oceanographic applications are where synthetics have really taken hold,” he said. “And increasingly, we’re seeing the switch happen inland as well—in modular construction, mooring systems, even barge operations. If the job requires agility and safety, synthetics are hard to beat.”

But adoption doesn’t just hinge on performance, said Marcel van der Molen, Sales Director at Lankhorst Ropes, a division of WireCo located in The Netherlands. “Perception also plays a significant role. It’s not that the product can’t do the work, it’s that the industry is used to steel. Everything is built around it—equipment, certification, even the mentality of crews.”

That cultural inertia is particularly apparent in crane applications, noted D’Elia. “There was a moment when everyone thought mobile cranes were next, but those systems don’t use much rope, and the weight advantage wasn’t big enough to offset concerns around cutting, abrasion, or heat.”

Cost and durability are also major barriers, he added. “If you’re replacing steel, you’re likely moving to high-performance fibers—and those cost more. So the benefit has to be obvious. Add the risk of accidental cuts or heat exposure, and it’s clear why some remain cautious. If a high-performance rope gets damaged a third of the way through its expected life, it’s done. And that cost savings is gone.”

Changing the Game

Inspection was once another obstacle—but even that is changing, thanks to AI-powered systems that can now compare field-worn synthetic rope against a database of known performance metrics.

Poroo is particularly passionate about this issue. “The biggest gap for synthetic rope users is the ability to easily obtain a high-quality inspection,” he explained. “Wire rope is relatively simple—visual anomalies stand out. With fiber, you’re dealing with millions of microscopic elements that don’t wear in easily recognizable patterns.”

He stressed the complexity: various rope types, coating materials, colors, and uses all impact how wear and fatigue present. “Visual inspection of fiber rope is a tough nut to crack, and we’ve seen firsthand how subjective it can be. One inspector fails a section, then unknowingly passes it hours later.

“I was on an oil tanker last year and got to peek at their inspection process and logs. They were leveraging their most junior person on deck as their mooring line inspector prior to each port call. Their logs documented that a specific line was in need of replacement in October, ‘good condition’ in November, and ‘fine’ in December. If the world continues to allow the most junior folks on the job to make these judgement calls, the fiber rope world will face accidents that cause setbacks for the industry as a whole.”

According to Poroo, Scope is attempting to close that gap. “We’ve developed a tool using computer vision and AI to inspect and predict the strength of every inch of rope that runs through it. We trained the model using data from thousands of broken line samples. It’s already inspected over one hundred million feet of line in the electric utility sector.”

Such vision systems give end-users a real-time prediction of remaining rope life, noted D’Elia. “And once this technology becomes mainstream—installed on equipment and always scanning—it’ll be a game changer.”

Van der Molen pointed out that Lankhorst has partnered with Sensor Technologies to introduce “Sureline Systems,” which offers embedded sensing for maritime and tug-and-salvage operations—with hopes to scale into heavy lifting once sensor technology can withstand higher load pressures. “We’re not there yet for the two-thousand- or three-thousand-ton range,” he admitted, “but we’re getting closer.”

Material science is also advancing rapidly, according to D’Elia. “Where high-performance fibers like HMPE [High-Modulus Polyethylene] and aramid were once confined to the load-bearing core, they’re now being used in jackets as well, dramatically increasing abrasion resistance. We’ve started incorporating HMPE in the jackets of our larger Twin-Path slings. It’s made a big difference.”

Understand the Material

As for what’s holding back broader adoption, the answer isn’t singular. “Cost, durability, perception—all of these are valid factors,” said Poroo. “Wire rope has decades of engineering behind it. Fiber lifting solutions, on the other hand, are playing catch-up in some ways.” Still, he’s quick to praise both sides of the aisle: “Each has quality manufacturers and incredible engineering talent moving the needle forward.”

Poroo hesitated to offer absolutes on lifecycle cost. “There’s no easy answer. In some applications, synthetic has proven to outperform wire rope, and in others, it’s the reverse. These variables should always factor into lift design and purchasing decisions.”

He also noted that in terms of raw strength, synthetic rope development may have reached a temporary plateau. “Stronger and stronger fibers allowed us to make slings that were smaller and lighter—but we may have maxed out the fibers that are economically viable for lifting. Now, companies are focusing on things like minimizing creep or developing coatings to extend longevity and increase functionality.”

That same innovation is shaping conversations with end-users, added Van der Molen. “We have a continually running R&D program. Different coatings, different fiber constructions—it’s all tailored to the specific job. Higher coefficient of friction? Better abrasion resistance? We can engineer that. But the discussion always starts with the customer: what’s the application, what are the conditions?”

In short, it’s not one-size-fits-all—but it’s increasingly one-solution-fits-best, he emphasized. “Indeed the price tag is higher, but that gap is closing, and the long-term benefits are starting to outweigh the early investment. Especially as logistics and handling become more central to project economics.”

Both Van der Molen and D’Elia agree that the barrier isn’t so much technical as it is educational.

“There’s no governing global standard yet [in Europe],” Van der Molen recognized. “We’re working with IMCA [International Marine Contractors Association], with DNV [Det Norske Veritas], with Lloyd’s—to share data and set guidelines. But when a user asks, ‘What standard does this follow?’—sometimes we still don’t have an easy answer.”

D’Elia described a slightly improved reality on the other side of the Atlantic. “Twenty years ago, getting synthetics into the standards was a real challenge, but that’s completely changed now.” He pointed to ASME B30.9, which includes full chapters on synthetic slings, as well as his own work on the B30.30 committee—which included synthetic rope from the outset. “Today, synthetics are part of the standard. You’re not the exception anymore.”

Still, he acknowledged that more can be done when it comes to safety training. “There are gaps everywhere. People don’t always use cut protection, even on wire rope, when they should. And I think a lot of them just get lucky.”

Training is often informal in the rigging industry, he added, picked up on the job rather than through a structured program. “Unlike electricians or carpenters, there’s not the same kind of pipeline through tech schools or apprenticeships. It would be a huge opportunity to build some of that infrastructure—especially since rigging touches so many trades. Most people don’t even learn about it until they’re already out in the field.”

That makes outreach just as vital as R&D, Van der Molen underscored. “You have to take the customer, as well as the industry in some cases, by the hand. If they don’t know what to ask for, they might get the wrong product. And if that happens, it’s not just a bad experience—it’s a setback for everyone.”

But it also must make sense, he asserted. “The financial crisis from 2008 to 2015 slowed us down, and we’re still introducing the technology, but it’s catching up. For mobile cranes, the math doesn’t always check out. If you’ve got two hundred meters of 19mm steel wire rope, switching to synthetic doesn’t save much weight. But with something like Mammoet’s PTC crane—six thousand meters of 52mm rope—replacing that with synthetic translates to real lifting capacity gains.”

For offshore applications, where crane, winch, and rope must work in unison, Van der Molen believes synthetics are in a groundbreaking phase. “We’re doing what steel manufacturers did fifty years ago—aligning all the components to optimize performance. Take wind, it’s a relatively new industry—and it’s entirely invested in synthetics. You don’t see steel ropes there. No sharp edges, no risk to your hands. No lubrication, either. From both an environmental and operational standpoint, that’s a big plus. It’s a modern solution for modern industries.”

At the end of the day, both men agreed that when synthetics are understood and respected, the payoff is tangible—and contagious.

“It’s not so much about the rope underperforming,” said Van der Molen, “it’s about people not fully understanding it yet. But that moment is getting closer by the day.”

D’Elia agreed, but also pointed to the future playing out in balance. “Synthetic where it excels—steel where it’s essential,” he said. “The industry’s moving toward synthetics, step by step. But steel’s not going anywhere in the places only steel can survive.”

Ultimately, it may be less about replacement than repositioning, said Van der Molen. “Steel certainly has its place—especially in extreme heat or legacy systems where cost is king and change is slow. But for everything else—we’re already seeing the shift.

“Once people start using synthetics, it’s a no-brainer. You just have to train them, help them understand it’s different. Respect the material, and it performs.”