wiredInUSA April 2018

Specialist winches

Flat wire profits expected

Greek company Assodivers Underwater Contractors has taken delivery of two MERMAC winches from MacArtney: one 19.5-tonAHC (active heave compensation) winch and one 6-ton umbilical winch. The winches will be part of a project relating to Denmark’s biggest offshore wind farm, Kriegers Flak, located in a shallow area in the Baltic Sea between Denmark, Sweden and Germany. The AHCwinch is intended to relocate huge stones on the seafloor, and the umbilical winch will pull a cable plow. Electric AHC winch solutions are often preferred for ROV systems and for handling equipment that is to operate near or on the seabed. Within this context, these MERMAC winches are used extensively by major work class ROV operators and service providers offering their customers optimal system safety and operational efficiency when being involved in the launch and recovery of ROVs, towed systems, corers, drills, plows, pumps, sonars, sensors, diving systems and other equipment types. AHC immediately compensates for vessel movement caused by waves, even in heavy seas. This feature reduces weather- related downtime and facilitates launch and recovery of tethered equipment. Greek company Assodivers Underwater Contractors has taken delivery of two MERMAC winches

The Belgian steel wire maker Bekaert is anticipating no increase in profit in 2018 following a lower than expected profit decline in 2017. The business climate in Latin America is described as “difficult”, and higher wire rod costs are set to cap margins. The company, whose steel wire is said to reinforce nearly a third of the world’s automotive tires, forecast strength in most other regions with good demand for its wire in automotive, mining and construction markets. Rising oil price is also improving prospects in the oil and gas sector. The difficult economic climate in Latin America, volatile wire rod prices, low demand for loose abrasive sawing wire, and a possible impact from US trade policy will limit the company’s margins for 2018. However: “We are confident we will improve our profitability progressively during the year to achieve the same profitability level of 2017,” the company said.

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wiredInUSA - April 2018