SamsonRope.com Photo © Brian Gauvin THE ULTIMATE TUG SYSTEMTHE SAMSON TUG ADVANTAGE 2 SamsonRope.comTUG SYSTEM SELECTION Not an off-the-shelf decision The Samson Tug Advantage .....5 The Ultimate Towing System ....7 Calculating Cost Per Tow ..........9 Understanding Abrasion .........11 Protecting Your Investment.....13 Extending Service Life ...........14 Training, Inspection & Residual Strength Testing ...16 The Ultimate Towing System: COMPONENTS ..........18 Mainlines ...............................18 Additional Working Lines ........20 High-Performance Chafe Protection/Pendants ...............21 Tug Comparison Tables ..........23 DSM Partnership ....................24 CONTENTS The tow rope is arguably the single most important piece of equipment in the industry. It’s the dependable connection between your vessel and the vessels in your care. For owners and operators in today’s towing industry, safe working conditions, maximum service life, mitigated failure of tow lines are top priorities. Through proper evaluation and selection of high modulus polyethylene (HMPE) ropes, Samson will show you how to achieve all three. The right rope for every component. We used to talk about tow lines. However, with advances in fiber and coating technology and innovations in chafe protection, we now talk about towing systems. Selecting the right rope for each part of the towing system is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. Each component should be considered independently—pendant, mainline, and backer. Based on specific needs, each component is selected to give you the best overall system and performance. We understand the factors that weigh into these decisions and will help you select the system to get the job done correctly and safely, providing the best value for your investment. We want your system to be as safe as possible for as long as possible. It may seem counterintuitive for a supplier to help you get more life out of their products; but at Samson, that is exactly what we do. We understand that adding real value to your business is how we become an indispensable partner. Knowing the intended use or application of the rope is not enough. There are a number of factors that should be considered when selecting a towing system and protecting your investment for a long service life: > Vendor expertise and support > Measuring real value—cost per tow vs. cost per line > Understanding abrasion > Protecting your investment A. Rope selection B. Surface preparation C. Chafe gear > Keys to prevent line failure and extend surface life This technical guide will help you select the towing system that is right for your operation, maintain a long service life, and lower total cost of ownership.4 SamsonRope.com THE SAMSON TUG ADVANTAGE 4 SamsonRope.comTHE SAMSON TUG ADVANTAGE You won’t get this anywhere else 5 SamsonRope.com The benefits of high-performance synthetic tug working lines are proven. Lightweight and ultra- strong, they reduce weight-related injuries and are easy to handle, inspect, and repair. Naturally cut and abrasion resistant, they reduce damage to deck hardware and the maintenance they require. Every rope we make comes complete with The Samson Advantage—a package of services that starts with a pre-sale evaluation to help determine the best products for your vessel and the way they are used, and doesn’t end until the ropes are retired. You won’t find this level of service anywhere else. Our goal is to ensure safety and the proven long-term benefits of using high- performance products from installation through retirement. PRE-SALE SERVICES > On-board equipment surveys to determine the best ropes for your vessel > Surface repair / preparation suggestions Before rope selection begins, it is important to survey hardware configurations and surface conditions. Based on this survey, Samson's technical sales team will make recommendations regarding the best products for your towing system; pendant, mainline, backer line, along with chafe protection to keep your towing system performing at its peak. We will also identify necessary surface preparation that should be addressed prior to installation of the ropes. POST-SALE SERVICES > Installation assistance > Comprehensive crew training—line handling, inspections, repair, splicing, use of chafe gear > Detailed, customized tow line manual > Customized inspection programs > Assistance in establishing retirement criteria > Periodic on-board inspections, training, and support We’re there for installation and we stay to train your crew on proper handling and maintenance, in-service inspections, and splicing techniques. Periodic on-board inspections help determine retirement schedules based on your usage and the rope’s condition. We’ll show you how good recordkeeping allows you to calculate the cost per tow—a true indicator of the actual value of your tow ropes. Samson’s full library of resources is always available at SamsonRope.com: > Product specifications > Technical bulletins > Technical papers > Splicing instructions > Informational videos The Samson app for iPhone/iPad is available for free on the Apple Store and features: > Splice instructions > Inspection checklists > Abrasion guide 5THE ULTIMATE TUG SYSTEM COMPONENTS Photo © Brian Gauvin 6 SamsonRope.comIT’S NOT JUST A ROPE, IT’S A SYSTEM With high bollard pull tugs becoming the norm for harbor tugs in ship assist and escort jobs, the tow line needs to evolve to take full advantage of the tug’s capabilities and capacities. Ropes made from high-performance fibers such as Dyneema ® HMPE are lightweight, strong, and dependable, but that’s not all that’s required with today’s tugs and winches. Each component needs to be perfectly suited to its mission in order for the full system to provide greater efficiencies, easier handling, and longer service life. Samson’s towing system has been proven to outlast and outperform any tow system on the market. The result is increased value by any measure. THE PENDANT At the business end of the line is the pendant. Once the pendant passes through the chock, you’ve lost complete control over the conditions a line encounters. The pendant is designed to be sacrificial and withstand abuse as long as possible, then be replaced as needed. Because it is designed to take the brunt of the abrasion, it is often stronger than the mainline. Adequate chafe protection also helps mitigate the possibility of damage to this critical section of the tow line. Saturn-12, with its proprietary coating that reduces internal and external abrasion, is a good match for the rigors of duty as a pendant. Dynalene makes a perfect match for chafe protection. The combination provides a durable and strong pendant. DC Gard can also be used effectively. THE MAINLINE The mainline is next. This is the main strength member of the system and its longest component. It needs to be strong and pack well on the drum. Here, Saturn-12 or AmSteel ® -Blue have proven to be the best choice. Strong and dependable, yet lightweight and easy to handle by deck crew, these two have shown themselves to be the superior ropes in this application. These 12-strand single braids are easy to inspect and simple to splice when required. For conventional tugs working from H-bitts, Proton ® -8, Quantum-X, or Quantum-8 are the preferred choices. Quantum-X and Quantum-8 have Samson’s patented DPX ™ fiber technology for increased coefficient of friction in a high strength, lightweight rope that incorporates polyester with Dyneema ® HMPE fiber. For modern tugs working with conventional winches, where mainlines are made with traditional fibers (Class I) and jacketed with non-inspectable PP/PPE blends, Fusion-12 provides a lighter weight, inspectable, flexible, longer-lasting crew-friendly alternative. The system can be configured to meet your specific needs. If there is a potential for shock loading the mainline, add a section of rope with higher elongation than HMPE. This will allow the operator to extend the mainline to bring the higher elongation section into play during the operation. THE BACKER LINE The tow line system starts with a backer line that doesn’t compromise the mainline’s strength, but provides the best purchase on the winch drum. High-performance lines with a higher coefficient of friction, such as Quantum-X with DPX ™ fiber technology, work extremely well as backer lines—the first two layers on the winch drum. They also provide a better grip at the drums attachment point. Backer lines make end-for-end procedures significantly easier. Simply unsplice the small eye and re-splice it at the other end of the mainline. With this procedure, there is no need to deal with a clamp. Quantum-X backer line eye-to-eye connection to a Saturn-12 mainline with Dynalene chafe protection. 7 SamsonRope.comCALCULATING COST PER TOW 8 SamsonRope.comMEASURING REAL VALUE: Cost per tow vs. cost per line Don’t be content to purchase new tow lines on price alone. There are other variables that should be factored into the cost equation. These factors include how long a rope is in service, the vessel type, and the operations the vessel typically performs. All of these factors will lead to the true cost of ownership of the towline. We call it cost per tow (CPT). IDENTIFYING THE CPT FOR EACH VESSEL Our program uses individual vessel history to determine the best line for specific types of operations. The first step is to collect the vessel data, usually found in the deck logs. Accurate results require a minimum of: > Information for the last four pendants used on the vessel > Number of tows performed by each line > Current status—either active, retired, or failed > Rope construction and fiber type > Cause for line replacement CALCULATION THE RESULTS One fleet who implemented a CPT program, which is in use today, realized the following after the first year of recordkeeping: > The number of rope failures had been reduced by 85% > Service life increased by 2–5.5 times the original rope In addition, the new protocol for crew training in proper handling, inspection techniques, and improved line management, further affecting the overall cost of operations. LINE / TYPE INITIAL COST AVERAGE # OF TOWS RETIREMENT DATE COST PER TOW LINE A / Pendant $20,3003,3008/19/2016$6.15 LINE B / Mainline $36,0009,2001/20/2017$3.91 TRACKING EXAMPLE: The CPT is calculated by dividing the original purchase cost of the rope by the number of tows before it was either retired or failed. If you would like to see how using this program could benefit your operations, contact your Samson representative or call customer service to set up a meeting with one of our sales engineers. ÷ Original purchase price of the tow line Number of tows before the line was retired or failed ( )( ) CPT = 9 SamsonRope.comNext >