Lankhorst Supplies Lines to Hapag-Lloyd

Leading maritime ropes producer and supplier, Lankhorst Ropes has supplied over 190 reels of Strongline mooring lines to leading global liner shipping company, Hapag-Lloyd, since 2010 as part of an on-going strategic partnership.

Lankhorst provides multiple sizes of Strongline mooring ropes for several classes of Hapag-Lloyd’s vessels. Strongline has a parallel core giving the rope a high strength to diameter ratio resulting in a strong yet easy to handle rope. It also features a polyester braided protective cover ensuring a long service life due to the rope’s increased abrasion resistance.

As part of the partnership Hapag-Lloyd benefits from Lankhorst’s Through-life Technology and Service package. Throughout the lifetime of the ropes Lankhorst has provided technical advice and both on and offshore training for safe and appropriate rope handling, operations and repairs.

Commenting on working with Hapag-Lloyd Lankhorst Ropes’ commercial director Hans Pieter Baaij said “Establishing a long term relationship with an operator such as Hapag-Lloyd is extremely beneficial for both sides. Hapag-Lloyd provides us with the feedback we need to continue producing innovative ropes, and in return we can produce ropes giving longer service life, safer operations and less downtime, minimizing the cost of ownership”.

Karl-Heinz Godemann, Senior Superintendent at Hapag-Lloyd added “Our partnership with Lankhorst allows us to comment on the rope’s performance as seen by our crews throughout its service life, day in, day out. Easier handling is always desirable so when Lankhorst invented the A3 splice we were enthusiastic about providing our crews with an innovation that would make a real difference to their rope handling”.    

Rope Innovation - A3 Splice

An industry trend towards fewer crew meant that ropes needed to become easier to handle. Hapag-Lloyd was an early adopter of Lankhorst’s award winning solution, the A3 splice. Utilizing this new method results in a 100 percent efficient splice, meaning no loss of strength, with no doubling of the rope. The A3 splice also reduces rope stiffness, weight and size enabling single person rope handling and improving rope handling safety during mooring and towing operations.