Offshore staff

HELSINKI -- MacGREGOR has developed an ultra deepwater lifting system using fiber rope technology.

The new ultra deepwater lifting system uses a side-mounted frame fixed onto a vessel. This allows the crane to lower a load to a depth of 1,000 m (3,281 ft), after which the load is transferred to a straight fiber rope; the crane hook is returned to the surface, reattached to the upper end of the fiber rope, and then a new length of up to 1,000 m (3,281 ft) is deployed. This hook-moving sequence can be repeated until the desired depth is reached. As landing heave compensation is enabled through a winch operation using traditional steel cable, spooling, and bending the critical fiber rope is avoided.

The new lifting solution is available as 150-metric-ton (165-ton) capacity or 250-metric-ton (276-ton) capacity systems and can be supplied ready for various lengths of fiber rope.

"As the system does not weaken the fiber rope or present any challenges related to spooling the full load, MacGREGOR is confident that it can now offer a safe and reliable solution for ultra deepwater load handling," says Svein Erik Halvorsen, R&D director for MacGREGOR's Offshore division.