04.02.2016

New fibre rope crane from MacGregor

MacGregor has introduced a 150 tonne fully heave-compensated knuckle boom fibre-rope crane for the offshore industry, developed in partnership with Parkburn Precision Handling Systems with a capability of reaching 4,000 metres of water depth.
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MacGregor's 150 tonne fully heave-compensated knuckle boom fibre-rope crane

A cooperation agreement between the two companies combines MacGregor's offshore crane expertise with Parkburn's fibre-rope tensioning technology. The new MacGregor crane features a simple-to-operate fibre-rope lifting system that eliminates the heating and degradation problems associated with on-load fibre ropes stored on winch drums. Critically, it can accommodate non-uniformities resulting from splices in the rope.

The MacGregor fibre rope technology is also suitable for retrofit on existing subsea cranes enabling an existing crane vessel to be upgraded rather than replaced.

UK-based Parkburn has spent over 40 years perfecting its deep-water handing systems required in fire-rope cranes. Its fibre-rope winch system can be delivered as digitally controlled electric or hydraulic driven. Features include integral active-heave compensation and power regeneration capabilities.
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The fibre rope weighs almost nothing in water, making it ideal for deep see lifting

MacGregor's vice president, R&D and technology, Baard Trondahl Alsaker said: "MacGregor recognises that by partnering with experts in specific technological areas, we can deliver solutions that exceed our own capabilities. We see ourselves as being able to integrate the best technology available to deliver systems with technology-leading capabilities."

"This is an important advance for handling loads at depth. The great advantage of fibre rope in this context is that it weighs virtually nothing in water, so regardless of the length of rope paid out, it does not add anything to the load seen by the crane. This is in complete contrast to the situation with wire rope, where the ever increasing weight of wire paid out limits the load permissible in relation to depth."