N e w D e v e l o p m e N t s i N s y N t h e t i c R o p e t e c h N o l o g y

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The Samson Advantage—delivering measurable value.......................................1

Samson and DSM Dyneema® ............................2

TECHNICAL BULLETIN: Design vs. Performance .......................3

Vulcan: Synthetic ETOPS Solution ..................3

Mooring Line Rotation ....4

Improved DC Moor Gard Chafe Protection ...............4

Samson has more than 30 years of real data to assist in the production of reliable, safe mooring systems that deliver measurable value.

As an integral part of The Samson Advantage, Samson’s field technicians provide onboard inspections, repairs, and splicing assistance.

LNG carriers place greater demands on their mooring systems than most marine transport vessels. High displacement vessels berthed at exposed moorings with increased swell surge and the accompanying shock loading can overtax traditional synthetics and even some high modulus polyethyelene (HMPE) mooring lines on the market today. Samson’s mooring systems—from the most proven and reliable HMPE mooring lines available, to pendants that mitigate shock loads and protective chafe gear—provide the safest, most reliable solutions for the LNG market.

ExPERIEnCE COunTS: SAMSOn hAS REPLACED MORE wIRE ThAn Any OThER MAnufACTuRER, wORLDwIDE Samson has more experience designing and producing HMPE ropes for the commercial marine market than any other rope manufacturer in the world. It’s been nearly 35 years since we developed the first ropes using HMPE fiber. In 1996, AmSteel®-Blue was developed using the most current HMPE fiber technology. It quickly became the most trusted wire rope replacement on the market. Since then, working closely with fleet owners and operators, constant field evaluation, rigorous testing and continuous development has made Samson’s mooring systems even stronger and more dependable. That’s more than 30 years of real performance data to assist in producing mooring systems that are reliable, safe and return real, measurable value to our customers.

TESTED AnD PROVEn In ThE fIELD In 1996, Samson partnered with one of the world’s top 10 integrated energy companies to test AmSteel®-Blue mooring lines in the field where injuries and the associated costs of handling heavy, maintenance-dependent wire mooring lines had become unacceptable. Over five years, data enabled the operator’s committee to justify replacing all wire-mooring systems throughout their fleet.

Samson, working together with the customer and DSM Dyneema®, published the results in the 2002 OCIMF manual, Guidelines on the Use of High-Modulus Synthetic Fibre Ropes as Mooring Lines on Large Tankers (Witherbys Publishing).

EVERy LInE wE SELL COMES COMPLETE wITh ThE SAMSOn ADVAnTAGE It’s not just a catchy slogan, it’s a fully realized program that includes the highest performance products, state of the art technology as practiced by the most advanced R&D organization in the business, ISO certified manufacturing using LEAN principles, and 130 years of cordage industry experience. It’s all combined with world-class service and support. Samson provides technical consultations, installation assistance, on-site training in usage and inspection, retirement criteria determination, comprehensive technical support materials and a global network of authorized distributors with ready inventory, and fabrication specialists for fast response. We call it The Samson Advantage, our customers call it peace of mind. Continued on next page…

ThE SAMSOn ADVAnTAGE— it all adds up to real, measurable valueExperience, technology, and service: reliable lines that reduce mooring costs

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ThE SAMSOn ADVAnTAGE— It all adds up to real, measurable value continued…

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SAMSOn AnD DSM DynEEMA:Strong relationship delivers customer benefitsThe strong and successful partnership between Samson— “The Strongest Name in Rope”— and DSM Dyneema—Creator of Dyneema® “The World’s Strongest Fiber”—is delivering innovative, high-quality solutions for customers around the world.

As a leader in rope design and manufacturing, Samson has a long history of supplying synthetic lines made with Dyneema® to all markets, with a proven track record of high performance and long service life. In the LNG marketplace, the two companies have collaborated since 1996, when AmSteel®-Blue was developed to take full advantage of the benefits of 100% Dyneema®, and quickly became the most trusted steel wire rope replacement on the market.

According to DSM Dyneema President Gerard de Reuver, Samson was DSM Dyneema’s first ever trademark license partner: “Samson’s incorporation and promotion of the Dyneema® brand and materials with their high-quality products have been instrumental in the success of DSM Dyneema in the rope and LNG mooring line markets.” Mr. de Reuver adds: “In fact, the total volume of business we have done with Samson, currently makes the company the single largest DSM Dyneema customer.”

Samson President,Tony Bon adds: “Samson has been working with DSM Dyneema since we converted our first tanker fleet to AmSteel®-Blue in the 1990s. DSM is our largest supplier, and through our partnership we leverage each other’s application knowledge and technical capabilities through joint development and testing programs. This collaboration has allowed us to deliver the best combinations of fibers, rope constructions and coatings to our customers, resulting in improved performance, reliability, and service life.”

hOw IT wORkS In ThE REAL wORLD: A LOOk AT TwO TyPICAL InSTALLATIOnS Samson customer, Shell, manages the world’s largest LNG fleet. To date, seven of Shell’s LNG carriers have been outfitted with Samson mooring systems, each with a complement of 23 mooring lines. Before the lines are installed, the vessel is surveyed to assess the state of the deck hardware and determine if maintenance or surface fairing is required. A typical installation has a Samson field support technician boarding the vessel Al Bahiya in Marseille, France, for a ten day sailing for Ras Laffan, Qatar. A detailed guide to each day’s activities was presented to the ship’s Chief Mate. By the time the vessel reached Qatar, all 23 lines had been installed and the crew had been fully trained on splicing, inspection, maintenance, and proper handling techniques.

Bw ShIPPInG, steNa peRfoRmaNce: REAL, MEASuRABLE VALuE ESTABLIShED… With 15 new tankers under construction, Samson and BW Shipping investigated the safety and cost benefits of switching from traditional wire mooring lines to lightweight, high-strength synthetic mooring lines. The cost analysis determined that port deployment times would be reduced by

one hour, resulting in annual savings of $81,000 per vessel. Eleven of the new builds were outfitted with Samson mooring lines.

A Samson application engineer and a field technician were dispatched to the Stena Performance to replace the wire rope mooring lines with AmSteel®-Blue. The installation and crew training was scheduled to take place during a passage from St. Croix to Baltimore. Upon arrival in Baltimore, four days later, the hardware had been cleaned up, resurfaced and repainted, wire had been removed from the winches, and the new mooring lines installed. The crew had been trained on handling the new lines, splicing, and maintenance.

A mooring that had taken as long as 2.5 to 3 hours at the same port in the past, took about 30 minutes. Handling the lines was simple and safe, and after the ship was secured, with no grease to foul the decks and hardware, cleanup was nearly eliminated.Each of these installations is detailed in a full case study available online at SamsonRope.com.

SAMSON AND DSM DYNEEMARedefining the strongest and safest rope for maritime solutions

Find out more at dyneema.com/maritime

Bw Shipping determined that port deployment

times would be reduced by one hour, resulting

in annual savings of $81,000 per vessel.

After replacing wire rope mooring lines with

AmSteel®-Blue, stena performance

reduced a 2.5–3 hour mooring cycle to

30 minutes.

Samson field support technicians frequently assist with wire rope mooring line replacements while vessels are underway, complete with crew training in splicing, inspection, maintenance and proper rope-handling techniques.

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Shorter cycle lengths and more tightly twisted yarns will create a firmer rope that is typically less likely to snag on sharp objects.

A loose braid leads to higher efficiency, but the abrasion resistance of the rope will suffer significantly.

TECHNICAL BULLETIN hMPE ROPE: Design vs. Performance

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OVERVIEw Selecting a rope for any application involves evaluating several performance characteristics. These characteristics include, but are not limited to, minimum breaking strength, weight specifications, and elongation. These factors also play a critical role in the field performance of such ropes. Not all high modulus polyethylene (HMPE) ropes are created equal. This study demonstrates the importance of detailed design factors to performance and service life of a rope. In this Technical Bulletin, we compare the performance characteristics among different HMPE rope designs to analyze and report the advantages, considerations and the long-term behavior of HMPE mooring lines.

ROPE COnSTRuCTIOn VS. PERfORMAnCEFig. 1 compares three HMPE ropes with different braid cycle lengths, as marked by the arrows. Sample A is Samson’s AmSteel®-Blue, a 12-strand single braid made with Dyneema®. Sample B shows a longer cycle length. Sample C shows an even longer cycle length. The difference in braid cycle length is shown in Fig. 1, relative to Sample A.

Aside from performance differences, these ropes have qualitative differences that affect how they will handle in operation. Shorter cycle lengths and more tightly twisted yarns will create a firmer rope that is typically less likely to snag on sharp objects. It is important to balance all of these elements in order to create the best rope for each application with not only high strength, but long service life as well.

Although a loose braid leads to higher efficiency, the abrasion resistance of the rope will suffer significantly, as shown in Fig. 2. Field observation of rope also confirms this conclusion as the longer cycle length will result in more snagging and wear of the surface of the rope, which is the leading factor of strength decay of HMPE rope in service [1].

Thousand Cycle Load Level (TCLL) testing is used to determine the theoretical load at which a rope would fail at the 1,000th cycle [2].

Testing found that in addition to the lower abrasion resistance, a loosely braided rope also has much lower tension fatigue resistance, as shown in Fig. 3.

COnCLuSIOnRope design is critical to the service life and performance of any rope. Extended service life can be achieved by improving rope design (as demonstrated in this study) to properly address the strength deterioration mechanisms. Improper product selection is a risk that could result in unsatisfactory performance in the field.

For additional information on this subject and other available Technical Bulletins, please contact your Samson representative or visit our website: SamsonRope.com

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Testing found that in addition to the lower abrasion resistance, a loosely braided rope also has much lower tension fatigue resistance

REfEREnCES[1] McCorkle, E.,

Chou, R., Stenvers, D., Smeets, P., Vlasblom, M., & Grootendorst, E. (2003). Fatigue and residual strength of fiber tug lines. San Diego, CA: Oceans 2003 Proceedings, 1058–1063 Vol. 2.

[2] Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF). (2000). Guidelines for purchasing and testing SPM hawsers (1st ed.). Livingston, UK: Witherby Seamanship International.

Samson develops a synthetic “firewire” ETOP solution Samson has developed a synthetic alternative to wire rope emergency tow off pendants. Vulcan is significantly lighter, reducing weight-related injuries, and eliminates “fish-hooks,” broken wires that protrude from the wire rope that result in hand injuries. Maintenance costs are also reduced when using synthetic ropes in comparison with wire ropes.

specially DevelopeD coatiNgs eNhaNce peRfoRmaNce In addition to construction considerations, Samson has developed proprietary Samthane coatings to further enhance a ropes’ performance. Applied to AmSteel®-Blue, Samthane provides enhanced protection from abrasion, snagging, and contamination from environmental elements. They are also used to color code lines by application for easy identification. Through third party testing Samson is recognized for its superior coating products that improve and extend the service life of the rope.

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Proven SAFER and MORE EFFICIENT: AmSteel ®-Blue LNG Mooring Lines provide you with peace of mind

PEACEMindofExperience, engineered high-performance products, and unmatched service…From initial hardware surveys and rope selection through crew training, maintenance and inspections: it’s all part of the Samson Advantage.

Don’t trust your vessel to anyone else..

THE COMPLETE PACKAGEOngOing ServiceS Establish retirement criteria

On-board rope inspections

Training Deck preparation and line

installation Proper handling, usage, and care

Splicing

Technical reSOurceS

Customized owner’s manualsResearch bulletins and

white papers

prOducTS Excellent abrasion resistanceAdvanced coating technology

Engineered chafe protection

End-for-ending and rotating Samson’s lightweight, high-

performance mooring lines are easily handled

by typical crews without additional equipment.

Residual strength of synthetic ropes should

be tested at intervals to set safe rope retirement

or rotation schedules.

Patent pending construction and the addition of Samson’s

proprietary Saturn coating reduce internal abrasion

and friction, lower operating temperatures

and deliver longer service life for mooring lines.

C O n T A C T S A M S O n

EMAIL: CustServ@SamsonRope.com

ONLINE: SamsonRope.com

PHONE: 1.360.384.4669

FAX: 1.360.384.0572

MAIL: 2090 Thornton Street Ferndale, WA 98248 USA

g a s t e c h 2 0 1 2 s p e c i a l e d i t i o n

Extending mooring line service life There are two ways to extend the service life of your mooring lines: end-for-ending the lines and line rotation. Since Samson’s high-performance mooring lines are 85% lighter than the equivalent wire ropes, and significantly lighter than other synthetics like polyester, both techniques are easily handled by typical crews without the need for additional equipment like spooling trucks.

ENd-for-ENdiNG MooriNG LiNES The forward, or working, end of the line is subjected to repeated loading, deck-dragging damage, and hardware abrasion. By reversing the line, putting the unused, new end forward, the total service life of the mooring line can be extended. Lines should be carefully inspected using Samson’s inspection guidelines to determine if the mooring line is worn or damaged beyond repair for a length extending too far down the line. Careful consideration should be taken regarding the benefits of reversing the line versus replacing it with a new mooring line.

rotatiNG MooriNG LiNES To extend the service life of your Samson mooring lines, it is suggested that you consider setting a scheduled rotation of lines. Some mooring station lines may take more load (cyclic and force) than other stations (e.g. bow lines versus spring or breast lines). Or, for example, in offshore moorings, more force and cyclic loading may take place on bow lines. A procedure that can be easily conducted on board without spooling trucks is line rotation from one station to the other. Using the Samson recommended winch installation guidelines, the crew could rotate the lines to even out the residual strength. Residual strength of synthetic ropes should be tested at intervals to set safe rope retirement or rotation schedules.

See your Samson mooring manual for information on line inspection, or contact your Samson distributor for information on residual strength testing and determining retirement criteria and schedules for your vessel.

IMPROVED DC MOOR GARD: The ultimate in chafe protectionIn an effort to provide mooring systems with the ultimate protection from chafe and abrasion, Samson has made one of its best products even better. DC Moor Gard has been redesigned with a new braiding pattern modeled after our very robust Turbo series covers for jacketed ropes. The braid pattern has been optimized for use as a separate chafe protection cover. And, of course, it is made from 100% Dyneema® fiber for enhanced performance.

Patent pending reverse twisted Turbo construction aligns the internal fibers with the axis of the rope to reduce friction between the rope and the chafe guard. Saturn coating enhances the abrasion resistance and also helps reduce internal and external friction. This has been proven to lead to lower operating temperatures and longer mooring life.

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