Nick Terdre
Contributing Editor
Moorsafe’s new anchor design offers a stable anchor with high holding power and ease of handling, the company says. Following marine testing this summer, the company expects an imminent launch in the offshore sector.
The Moorsafe anchor, which is patented worldwide, has an oblique or slanting cylindrical design that ensures parallel penetration of both front and back into the seabed. The front and back work as a double fluke. There is no thick anchor leg in between to obstruct penetration, says managing director Olav Dale. When lowered to the seabed the anchor always lands the right way up.
The cylindrical design gives the anchor, which consists of sections of steel plate bolted or welded together, great strength. Steel grade 355 is normally specified, but for offshore use the teeth in the back will be strengthened with a special grade of hard steel.
Marine testing of the Moorsafe anchor was carried out off Stockholm in July under the supervision of DNV. The largest anchor tested was a 76 kg unit. After penetrating the seabed to a depth of 2.5 m, this anchor held firm against a maximum force of 7,500 kg. This demonstrated a holding force of virtually 100 times the anchor’s own weight, a much higher ratio than most other anchors can achieve, Dale says.
This comparative advantage means that the Moorsafe anchor gives the same performance as a heavier conventional anchor. The user gets the benefit that a lower anchor-handling capacity can be used, with consequent savings.
Another plus is that the anchor does not slip out of the seabed when subjected to a sideways pull, unlike some conventional anchors. However, it can be freed from the seabed easily by pulling it vertically. When retracted into the vessel or rig, it turns to the correct position for entering the storage rack.
Moorsafe will now approach potential offshore users with a view to finding a party willing to cooperate in testing a larger size of anchor - 1,500-2,000 kg - at a location in the North Sea in order to provide a direct comparison with other established offshore anchors.
The company has had close contact with Gothenburg-based Moorlink, the mooring component supplier, and intends to explore the possibility of a formal cooperation agreement.•
