Dyneema® SK78: Trusted mooring performance in warm climate and dynamic conditions

The maritime sector is continuously evolving to meet the challenges today. However, one thing remains at the heart of all mooring operations and that is safety. That is why Dyneema® invests in innovation and rigorous testing to ensure vessel owners using mooring lines with Dyneema® SK78 get reliable and unparalleled performance under all conditions. 

Many vessel owners rely on rope with Dyneema® SK78 for their mooring operations. The combination of larger vessels, exposed terminals and rapid climate change means that mooring lines are increasingly subjected to extreme conditions both in terms of load and temperature. In extreme environments, be it hot climates, fluctuating loads, or a combination of both, you want mooring lines that provide you peace of mind from day one onwards.

Superior performance in warm climate temperature and extreme conditions

Alongside our premium fiber rope partners, Dyneema® remains at the heart of developing mooring safety and operational excellence. Rigorous testing, proven methodologies and studies are conducted with our rope manufacturing partners to ensure our fiber remains at the pinnacle of safety and performance. 

With global temperatures rising and ship sizes increasing, it is becoming more and more important to determine the (fatigue) loading conditions and their impact on rope residual life. 

We have thus co-developed a rope performance model in cooperation with Samson Rope Technologies to predict rope temperature in any condition where a rope is subjected to dynamic loading conditions. Combining the temperature model with DSM’s proprietary Performance Model, the lifetime of a mooring line can be predicted more accurately than ever before. The white paper is available for download here.

Through a rigorous study using real life use cases, it is demonstrated that even in warm environments like the Middle East with severe loading and high load amplitudes, a rope made with Dyneema® SK78 will ensure reliable mooring operations.

Dyneema® SK78 fiber offer the highest reliability and superior service life compared to other generic HMPE

For the study, we took into consideration various scenarios where a mooring line is used on a LNG carrier that travels back and forth between the Middle East and Northern Europe, taking 8 round trips per year, mooring for 30 hours at each location factoring typical conditions for temperature, wind speed, and loads. In this example, the vessel encounters a storm condition during a mooring in Northern Europe every year. And in the Middle East, the vessel encounters a long swell condition once per year. The cumulative lifetime for mooring line made with Dyneema® and other generic HMPE lines is calculated. 

• Due to the superior fatigue lifetime of ropes with Dyneema® SK78 compared to generic HMPE types, it is the longest lasting choice in challenging conditions. 
• It is additionally important to note that mooring lines made with Dyneema® SK78 can be used safely in warm climates as Dyneema® SK78 fibers affected by high temperatures regain their original properties after cooling down. 
• There is no permanent effect of core temperatures of 70°C. Even exceeding this temperature for a short time is not an issue with Dyneema® SK78. 

The number one fiber choice for mooring lines in all conditions

While selecting the right fiber is the first step in exceptional mooring line performance, it is equally important to adopt the right line design and service platform to enhance safety and service life. Our premium fiber rope partners are dedicated to making light, durable, strong, and safe mooring lines with Dyneema® SK78, and providing the service and maintenance packages that ensure they keep performing, year after year.

Mooring lines with Dyneema® are widely used worldwide, on LNG and oil tankers, cruise vessels and container, in tropical environments and cold weather, in benign mooring conditions, and at exposed terminals.

With decades of experience and proven methodology, we can provide you with recommendations to increase the safety of mooring operations. For more information, please get in touchwith one of our experts today, or visit Dyneema.com.   

Dyneema®, with you when it matters. Always. 

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