Snap Back Arrestor from Timm ropes receives the world’s first technology qualification certification from DNV

Established in year 1772 Timm ropes, now part of the Wilhelmsen group, and still at the forefront of ropemaking. Timm’s Snap Back Arrestor has received DNV’s Certified Technology approval, the world’s first and only SBA rope to receive this.

Mooring lines snap at up to 800 km/h, making vessel mooring one of the most dangerous tasks crew perform. Increasing safety for seafarers was at the centre when Timm ropes launched debuted their Snap Back Arrestor (SBA) back in 2018. Their innovative product is now recognised by becoming the only SBA rope in the world with DNV Technology Qualification. The statement of qualified technology was awarded following an extensive qualification process, performed in accordance with DNV’s recommended practice A203. The process provided a systematic approach to identify, verify and mitigate all possible threats and failure modes of the SBA technology.

DNV’s thorough qualification process has taken more than four years, requiring significant investment of both time and resources. “We are thrilled to see the qualification now in place, our SBA rope is really one of a kind, and truly deserves the recognition it is now getting, I am very happy for the team, and everyone involved”, says Thomas Caradec, Technical Product Manager Ropes, Wilhelmsen Ships Service.

“Wilhelmsen Ships Service have with their snap-arrestor developed new technology going beyond existing standards. The intension of the technology is to increase safety in maritime by minimising the effect of snap-back in case of rope failure. DNV have assisted Wilhelmsen Ships Service through the process of technology qualification as the world’s first snap-back technology qualified by DNV, that is now proven to function within specified limits with an acceptable level of confidence,” says Ingrid Skutle Høgsæt, Principal Engineer with DNV.

Snap back accounts for a staggering 53% of mooring accidents, with a sobering 1 in 7 of those accidents resulting in fatalities. “This certification is a testament of all the hard work that went into the development of the SBA. It shows that the performance of the SBA has been verified in the most severe scenarios and in operational conditions onboard vessels, thus demonstrating the robustness and reliability of the technology, and a major step towards safer mooring for seafarers and port workers”, continues Thomas Caradec.