[INDUSTRY NEWS] The new fully integrated and
monitored system makes use of a rope condition management system and takes full advantage of Dyneema® fiber’s outstanding strength, enabling vessel owners to maximize their vessel output by dispensing with the weight of steel wire. It is currently being qualified by classification society DNVGL using Assurance Case methodology, which enables introduction of new technology without relaxing certification requirements. The system has already found its first
commercial success, with two orders placed by Jaya, the leading offshore energy services group that is now part of the Mermaid Marine Group of Companies. Jaya will fit the system to 110-tonne cranes designed by J.J. Offshore for two new 88-m ships. Deep Tek’s Managing director Moya
Crawford says the joint development leverages the three companies’ technological capabilities and expertise, for the benefit of their customers. “It responds to the needs of vessel owners that wish to install higher loads in deeper waters using smaller and more economic vessels than before,” she says. “It also addresses concerns of major oil companies about the rising cost of developing deepwater fields.” Wilco Stroet, Senior Vice President
Maritime, Oil and Gas at Lankhorst Ropes says: “All three partners believe the prospects for the new deepwater lowering system are excellent, and we will all be putting our weight behind the technology to make sure it succeeds in what are very competitive markets around the world.” The new system is an outstanding
example of the integration of world-leading technologies from along the supply chain, and could only be achieved by strong partnership between the parties involved, says Jorn Boesten, Segment Manager Offshore at DSM Dyneema. “Dyneema® fibers have outstanding potential in deepsea environments, and we are very happy to work together with Lankhorst Ropes and Deep Tek to maximize this potential.” y
Laguna Crane Services Utilizes Straightpoint Load Cells
> Texas-based lifting and rigging company Laguna Crane Services has used Straightpoint force measurement, load monitoring and suspended weighing load cells on a variety of projects from small industrial applications to those involving large mobile and crawler cranes with multiple chain falls. Laguna provides training, inspection,
service and parts for many different lifting and moving technologies. Jerry Lopez, the owner of the business, has charted the development of load cells over the past decade and believes Straightpoint is at the pinnacle of technological advancement, which now gives customers the ability to monitor the pick points of dynamic loads while they are being moved and relay the information 100% wirelessly to a PC. Lopez said: “We started using load cells
about 10 years ago; they were all hard-wired back then. The wireless capability has made it much safer, while data logging has made the process look very professional; it’s a massive improvement on the system which used to record information on a small paper roll. I especially like the capability of being able to capture a pull or load test on a graph as proof for the customers and their records.” Laguna Crane Services utilizes this
dynamic capability to verify the weight of the components it uses for load tests and
also employs load cells in proof testing. In many cases it is too expensive or logistically challenging to transport weights to a job site so a load cell is used in conjunction with a crane to verify the weight of a component that a customer might have in their own yard. Other industries place different demands
on Straightpoint’s portfolio; for example, drilling companies use an abundance of components, all of which need to be weighed and marked so it is clear when they are applied as part of an application. Lopez said: “On one standout application
we rigged up the load cells on each corner of a drilling rig and used them to monitor the pull on each end while we skidded the rig over several feet. Using this method saved the driller a significant amount of money because they didn’t have to disassemble the rig—just disconnect it, move any obstacles safely out of the way and skid the whole rig derrick before hooking everything back up and drilling again.” Laguna Crane Services could soon have
a local Straightpoint facility to support its work with John Molidor, the general manager of the U.S. operation, acknowledging that Houston is the undisputed leader in domestic and international business. He added: “The city is also known as the ‘energy capital of the world’. Most of the industries we serve—oil and gas, shipping, wind energy and construction to name a few— are domestically headquartered in Houston. There is no better location to serve the North American load monitoring market.” y
WIRE ROPE EXCHANGE
JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2015
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