Successful test of buoy cables at Rijkswaterstaat

A successful test is still ongoing at the Dutch agency Rijkswaterstaat. Rijkswaterstaat is the executive arm of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment. On behalf of the Minister and the State Secretary, Rijkswaterstaat is responsible for the design, control, management and maintenance of the main infrastructure facilities in The Netherlands, including all waterways (sea, rivers and lakes).

2 years ago FibreMax was consulted by Rijkswaterstaat on a problem with the mooring of marking buoys in their waterways. Traditionally the mooring of the buoys is done by chain or steel wire rope, but these materials are heavy to handle and need a lot of maintenance because of rust and marine growth. Rijkswaterstaat had performed another test with synthetic ropes already but these ropes failed after being in the water for only 3 months. Sand particles protruding between the ropes cause them to fail prematurely, because the constant movement of braided ropes, together with sand, acts like sandpaper. Cables from FibreMax have a different construction compared to braided synthetic ropes. Because all fibres are laid parallel there is no movement or construction stretch. The outer cover is relatively smooth, which minimizes marine growth. Marine growth has to be removed by Rijkswaterstaat during regularly inspections because it increases the weight.

Rijkswaterstaat asked FibreMax to deliver multiple test cables so that they could be deployed in different places on the waterways with different conditions. For over 2 years these cables have been in the water without any defect. During inspections Rijkswaterstaat found no defects to the cables, they are all in good condition. Also the marine growth on the cables is almost minimal. The test with the cables will continue, we will keep you informed on its progress.