04 Apr

Gama 98 rope and Lankofirst fibre rope connector at OTC 2011

Lankhorst Ropes Offshore Division – Offspring International
Booth 1523
OTC 2011

Gama 98 rope and LankoFirst fibre rope connector at OTC 2011

The leading deepwater synthetic rope construction, Gama 98, recently selected by Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) for MODU moorings, together with the LankoFirst fibre rope connector will feature on the Lankhorst Ropes Offshore Division / Offspring International booth 1523 at this year’s OTC event in Houston.

Gama 98 is a rope construction developed by Lankhorst Ropes specifically for deepwater mooring, and used on a number of major deepwater projects in the Gulf of Mexico. The polyester rope tethers are made from high efficiency sub-rope cores laid parallel within a filter element and an outer braided jacket to protect the rope during handling.

Offspring International is the worldwide agent for Lankhorst Ropes Offshore Division.

Testing Times for Gama 98

Testing for Petrobras MODU ropes will be conducted on Lankhorst Ropes’ new synthetic fibre rope test machine that, for the first time, enables naval architects to run ‘what if’ scenarios to simulate the effects of storms and hurricanes on deepwater mooring lines.

The rope test machine can test 20m ropes with loads up to 1,200 tonnes. It has a primary cylinder rated at 1,200 tonnes x 3m stroke and a secondary cylinder of 1.5m length coupled to a power pack of 350kW. In addition, the machine features a precise mechanical control system designed to maintain peak load such that target loads can be maintained within 10kN during testing.

Deepwater fibre rope connector

Also featured on the Lankhorst Ropes booth at OTC 2011 will be the LankoFirst fibre rope connector. Developed specifically for deepwater fibre connections, the connectors are smaller, lighter, stronger and more efficient than current plate links and thimbles. Moreover, they are easier to make-up and the rope splice is slimmer, and therefore lighter, for the same MBL. Offshore trials of the connector will take place later this year.

Brasilian Deepwater Rope Production

In August 2010, Royal Lankhorst Euronete Group acquired a new industrial unit in Rio de Janeiro – Brasil for production of deepwater mooring ropes, maritime ropes for the local market and – at a later stage – manufacture of buoyancy materials for the oil and gas industry. Production at the 5,000 m2 industrial unit will begin in 2011.