Safety in the water is entrusted to the ropes: X2 AQUA NEO, quality taken to a higher level

Salmon farming centers are increasingly located in more exposed sectors, as well as the number of fish they house has increased, since the cages have increased in size. For these requirements, Garware Technical Fibres develops and breaks through with a new, state-of-the-art, high-performance ropes for aquaculture: X2 AQUA NEO made up of polyolefin ropes that are resistant, light and safe, with greater resistance and less elongation than its successful predecessor X2 Aqua. Thus, this recent optimised version is ideal for exposed areas, with great depth, strong currents and winds. 

'The quality of the fibre is such that the smaller the diameter, it offers the same resistance. In the technical aspect, the quality of a rope is verified in the breaking length, that is, the resistance versus the weight per linear meter of the same, the greater the resistance, the greater the break size. They also have great resistance to cyclic load stress, with a very good result, measured under the OCIMF standard (of the international marine forum of oil companies), with an excellent fatigue life over tension. Our tensile fatigue test (TCLL) is higher in fatigue than common ropes,' says Marcos Jofré, business associate of Garware Technical Fibres Chile.

All in all, X2 AQUA NEO is configured as a high-performance mooring rope, in relation to the resistance versus weight indicator, it has a size reduction compared to X2 Aqua ropes, generating: faster handling, with lower costs of installation and also in the anchorage elements, easy to join or join, which also reduces the load on the anchoring system, due to its lower drag and weight. The approximate weight reduction for the same resistance is around 20 percent of traditional ropes. The use of X2 Aqua Neo will additionally allow a significant reduction in the amount of material to occupy in the anchorages, thus improving the environmental footprint of the salmon producer.

'One of the greatest efforts to which the anchor lines are subjected is the fatigue generated by the movements of the sea, since they stretch and contract constantly, they are not tense. In the case of the tensile fatigue test, it delivers the load limit at one thousand cycles, the standard calculates the cycles equivalent to 80 percent to break. In underwater engineering, certain resistances are required for the lines; we develop braided ropes of eight strands or cords that cover the entire spectrum of possible resistances required in aquaculture. For example, the 60-millimeter X2 Aqua Neo rope - the most demanded - has a resistance of 86.9 tons,' the executive specifies.

Certified under Norwegian Standard 9415 (NS9415)
All our ropes comply with international standards; X2 Aqua Neo also has the Norwegian NS9415 certification for marine farming centers, which establishes the specific requirements for the design, sizing, production, installation and operation of cages, nets-cages and anchors, among others, that are capable of withstanding the environmental forces that affect the cultivation centers (wind intensity, wave heights and current speed). "In Norway, there is this registry for aquaculture with authorised laboratories, which test, register and certify the products that meet their standards", explains Mr Jofré.

As an ISO 9001:2015 company, each manufactured rope is inspected and tested for its resistance to breaking and abrasion, UV stability, linear density, elongation and other specific characteristics.

For more information visit the Garware Fibres website, HERE. 

The Aquaculturists

---