MacGregor Builds 1st Offshore Fiber Rope Crane

MacGregor, part of Cargotec, has completed the construction of FibreTrac, the first fibre-rope offshore crane to enter the market.

The FibreTrac crane has a 150-tonne safe working load (SWL) capacity. It features a rope monitoring and management system that maximises rope lifespan and provides clear lift line status information for the operator at all times. It is designed to comply with DNV GL regulations.

"The project to build, certify and validate the MacGregor FibreTrac crane is the result of our confidence in its potential," says Høye Høyesen, Vice President, Advanced Offshore Solutions, MacGregor.

FibreTrac uses existing, proven technologies combined in a new application that offers deep-water load handling operators a simple pathway to some of the most significant cost-saving advantages seen in decades.

FibreTrac is able to exploit its full lifting capacity because fibre-rope weighs virtually nothing in water, so no additional load is experienced by the crane, regardless of the length of rope used during load handling operations. This is in complete contrast to steel wire-rope cranes.

"In practical terms, this means that a smaller crane and vessel can be used for more assignments, and owners are able to bid on a wider range of contracts," Mr Høyesen highlights. "The ability to use smaller vessels for deep-water projects will also drive down the cost of these operations and give our customers a stronger competitive edge."

"Feedback from the event was extremely positive," Mr Høyesen continues. "We were able to present the finished crane to demonstrate how the shift from steel-rope to fibre-rope in offshore cranes is technologically possible and how the crane delivers substantial cost benefits to owners, particularly for deep-water projects."