Page 55: of Marine News Magazine (September 2015)
Inland Waterways
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Rope & Rigging
Samson’s current product leader (blue) and the quickly upcoming product (orange) of the future.
spect and splice in the ? eld. Alex Edwards insists, “Amsteel- Applications in Orange – Saturn 12:
Blue is the current market leader; hands-down.” But, that’s • Face and Wing Wire about to change because, says Edwards, all of the great fea- • Shield Hauler tures that make Amsteel-Blue a solid rope still apply to the • Tug Pendant bright orange Saturn 12, which is the exact same rope, but • Lifting Sling / Mining with a better coating for abrasion control. • Tug Mainline
Saturn 12 will come with about a 5 percent increase in • Winch Line / Tug price, but, says Edwards, the change is worth it.
Actually, Saturn 12 has been around since 2010 when it Inland Waters: No Longer Blue?
was introduced to the markets and by 2013 it had been in- Tomorrow’s color on the inland rivers may very soon be troduced to inland rivers here in the United States. Edwards de? ned by orange, not brown. That’s because Saturn 12 told MarineNews in August that while Amsteel-Blue’s use comes with a size-for-size strength replacement for wire on the rivers is widespread, the bigger operators are looking rope at only 1/7th the weight, a decreased coef? cient of fric- to upgrade to the next generation. tion at winch surfaces, while at the same time being easy to
He adds, “This could happen before the end of this cal- handle, inspect and splice. Boasting improved performance endar year.” Saturn 12 is commonly used for river pushboat over standard HMPE ropes, the ? exible and ? oating Saturn facing and wing wires and for electric winch wires. Unof- 12 synthetic rope’s proprietary coating reduces internal yarn ? cially, U.S. Navy testing is said to be currently yielding a to yarn abrasion. All of that adds up to an economical, safer 15 to 20 percent increase in lifespan for the orange Saturn and a more logical mooring solution for inland operators – 12 brand. and beyond. 55 www.marinelink.com MN
