Page 14: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (May/Jun 2026)

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Stabbert Maritime ditches steel wire for synthetic rope on 6,000m deepwater vessel

Seattle-based operator Stabbert Maritime has retroftted its multipurpose support vessel with a TechIce® Ocean Guardian synthetic hoisting system after steel wire rope began constraining crew access and workfow during continuous deepwater operations.

he vessel supports subsea survey and scientifc separation during routine handling.

work to depths of 6,000 meters, with lifting sys- Scaling up the steel-based system was assessed and ruled tems operating daily rather than intermittently. out. Larger winches, increased deck footprint, and tighter

At those depths and frequencies, the behaviour operating margins carried schedule and commissioning

T of the rope started shaping how crews could work on deck, risk during transition. “We weren’t trying to chase head- not just how loads were controlled. line performance,” said Daniel Stabbert, CTO of Stabbert

Three problems drove the decision to move away from Maritime. “We needed a system that behaved predictably steel. First, snap-back risk required permanent exclusion every day instead of one that people had to keep compen- zones around the line whenever it was under load, forcing sating for.” task sequencing around the rope rather than around the operation. Second, the lubrication steel wire requires un-

A systems-level approach der cyclic loading migrated onto drums, sheaves, and deck The replacement system centres on TechIce®, a hybrid surfaces, adding housekeeping burden as lift cycles accu- synthetic hoisting rope manufactured by Hampidjan in- mulated. Third, the self-weight of steel wire at deepwater corporating Technora® aramid fbers from Teijin Aramid. lengths increased stored energy during spooling, empty- The mechanical core is a fully electric deepwater capstan hook recovery, and load transitions, requiring greater crew winch designed by Parkburn, an engineering frm special- 14 OFFSHORE ENGINEER OEDIGITAL.COM