By: Darren Parker
Southern African supplier of marine and offshore mooring, lifting and rig- ging equipment Anchor Indus- tries has completed a socketing and splicing project intended for a ship in Richards Bay.
The project, completed at the company’s 5000-m2 workshop in Cape Town, included the manufacturing of 77-mm pennant wires and 96-mm mooring grommets.
Anchor Industries MD Dale Hutcheson says that the company consistently trains its employees to equip them with skills that enable the company to remain competitive in the offshore and marine industry. He adds that all jobs are conducted according to national and international specifications that are required in the industry.
He says all Anchor Industries employees have undergone a socketing course, which details correct procedures and techniques for resin capping to American Petroleum Institution speci- fications. Further, the employees have been trained in mechani- cal splicing entailing correct measuring, splicing and pressing techniques.
Anchor Industries manufactures mooring grommets and can stock mooring ropes of up to 120 mm, which is the larg- est size available in stock in Cape Town. The company can provide an on-site socketing service for all-diameter steel wire ropes.
Anchor Industries was also contracted to install eleven 27,5m-long and 76-mm-thick GrU3 stud link chains on a ship in Cape Town harbour.
Prior to the successful com- pletion of the installation, a number of challenges were encountered. Firstly, the ship arrived at Cape Town harbour in the afternoon, meaning the job had to be done over- night as the ship had to depart the next morning.
Another challenge encountered involved detaching the anchor from the ship in order to connect the stud link chain to it. The reason for this chal- lenge was that the anchor had rusted severely while on the ship, where it had been for 26 years.
However, the anchor was eventually safely detached, enabling the ship to set sail at the scheduled time.
source: www.engineeringnews.co.za
