

(Posted on 28/05/19)
Despite the industry’s best intentions, such as designating hazardous snap-back zones on mooring decks, or the drawing up of detailed line management and mooring plans, mooring remains an incredibly high-risk task. Serious, often fatal, accidents continue to happen with depressing regularity, with seemingly no end in sight. Until now.
Proving impossible to accurately calculate or predict just how fibre ropes will behave when they fail and snap, Wilhelmsen Ships Service have instead developed a unique solution which dramatically reduces a rope’s recoil, or snap-back potential.
The Snap Back Arrestor (SBA) is an energy absorbing core which sits within the company’s Timm Master 12-strand plaited, mixed polymer rope. With the appearance of a rope, held within the heart of a 12-strand mooring line, if the outer, load-bearing construction breaks, the SBA absorbs the snap-back forces, transforming them from a potentially deadly snap, to a much safer, slump.
In development for close to seven years, the Timm Snap Back Arrestor, is a genuine market first. The result of a laborious process of trial and error, 25 different variants of the system were put through their paces in more than 120 different tests. Finally identifying a viable alternative in early 2016, DNV GL verified Wilhelmsen’s SBA solution in May 2016. Since then the Timm Master 12 SBA has been exhaustively tested, passing both TCLL testing and OCIMF MEG4 tests, in both dry and wet conditions.
Veronika Aspelund, Business Manager, Ropes, Wilhelmsen Ships Service says, “The Snap Back Arrestor is a massive step forward in maritime rope safety, significantly mitigating the considerable risks personnel are exposed to during mooring”.
Adding, “Using the same material composition as our best-selling premium Timm Master 8 rope, Timm Master 12 SBA is buoyant, light, reliable, features anti-twist colours and offers one of the best strength-to-weigh ratios on the market. These are all of course great selling points, but the safety element hidden within its core is truly unique and could quite literally be a life-saver”.
Tried, tested and recently type-approved by DNV GL the Timm Master 12 SBA is produced according to ISO 9554:2010 and ISO 10556:2009 and tested according to ISO 2307:2010. It has also been tested according to the latest 4th Edition of the OCIMF Mooring Equipment Guidelines.
The Snap Back Arrestor technology used in the Timm Master 12 will be rolled out across Timm’s entire 12-strand range.
One Sea has welcomeed Finnish start-up Groke Technologies as its new member, bringing additional expertise... Read more
ClassNK has released “FAQs on the EU-ETS for Shipping”, an overview and necessary preparation... Read more
AXSMarine, a pioneer and market leader in the provision of advanced solutions for shipping professionals... Read more
Shipzero is enabling transport and logistics companies to create transparency about their emissions... Read more
The Isle of Man Ship Registry (IOMSR) has become an associate member of The International Association... Read more
The wellbeing of crew members is becoming more important to shipping companies says leading catering... Read more
Canada based Algoma Central Corporation has reported its results for the year ended 31 December, 2022... Read more
Ukrainian seafarers have largely returned to international shipping thereby restoring balance in crew... Read more
The Chairs of the Round Table of International Shipping Associations met in Athens last week to renew... Read more
AXSMarine, a leading provider of SaaS shipping software and data for decision making in the chartering... Read more