Wilhelmsen Ships Service has signed up to RightShip’s Zero Harm Innovation Partners Program (ZHIP) to bolster its commitment to safe mooring practices.
As part of the collaboration, Wilhelmsen will highlight its cutting-edge products, the Timm Snap Back Arrestor (SBA) rope and the Line Management Plan (LMP).
“Being a part of RightShip’s ZHIP is a testament to Wilhelmsen’s dedication to enhancing mooring safety standards in the maritime industry,” said Thomas Caradec, product management and planning director, Mooring Solutions at Wilhelmsen.
”Our aim is to drive a positive change in the maritime industry and collaborate with other partners in the program to find ways to improve safety at sea.”
Safer mooring
Mooring operations present significant safety challenges. The number of mooring-related incidents has risen in ports like Rotterdam, where reported accidents increased from 122 in 2020 to 159 in 2023.
These incidents often result in injuries and highlight the need for improved safety measures.
Wilhelmsen is committed to mitigating mooring related risks by offering a set of active and passive safety measures. With active measures, such as the LMP, it aims to reduce the probability of accidents, while passive measures like the SBA can minimise the severity of risks in case of accidents.
The SBA rope is the world’s first and only anti snap-back rope qualified by DNV. It is renowned as one of the safest on the market, significantly reducing dangerous snap back and providing the safest possible working conditions for crew members.
In the event of a load-bearing construction break the SBA core partially absorbs the snap back energy resulting in a substantial reduction of snap back forces.
The LMP meanwhile simplifies rope management by documenting evaluation methods and requirements for determining line retirement criteria.
The cloud-based platform provides real-time insights into rope usage and maintenance, acting as a digital logbook for storing rope certificates, managing inventory and accessing inspection history.
RightShip’s ZHIP, launched in March 2024, aims to encourage the development of new technologies and solutions for a zero-harm maritime industry.
By connecting product creators with shipowners and charterers, the program facilitates the testing of innovative technologies in real-world environments, enhancing safety and sustainability in the maritime sector.
