Choosing the right mooring tail for your application
The basic considerations when selecting the specific material, construction, length and size of mooring tail are the following:
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The desired elongation characteristics
- Nika-Nylon Tails exhibit high elasticity and are therefore 22m Nika-Nylon Tails are recommended for exposed terminals in mooring operations.
- Medium to high elasticity is expected by other types of materials ( 100% Polyester, Mixed Polyester/Nikasteel).
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Floating or Non-floating
- Improved Mixed Nikasteel® tails are floating in seawater and are highly recommended for towing operations (use in tugboats)
- Nika-Polyester, Nika-Nylon and Nikaflex tails are non floating.
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The type of mooring berth(s)
- For open berths we recommend 22m length tails made from Nylon for increased mooring line's service life.
- In sheltered ports, 11m length tails are most common, however 22m length tails can also be an alternative.
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The minimum breaking load of the main high Modulus Line (Synthetic rope or Wire rope)
- OCIMF recommends that with regards to the Minimum Breaking Load (MBL) of the main High Modulus rope, the Polyamide(Nylon) tails should have 37% higher MBL while the Polyester and the mixed fiber (Polyester/Polyolefin) tails should have 25% higher MBL.
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The ease of handling and the potential need for re-splicing.
- 8-Strand Tails are easier & faster to re-splice.
- Floating tails (like Improved Mixed Nikasteel® tails) are lighter and are considered easier to handle due to lower weight (35% – 40% lighter when compared with 100% Polyester tails)
There are two basic types of a Mooring tails. The single leg and the grommet type:
Single leg
The single leg tails are the most common type of tails used in a variety of applications (mooring, towing etc.)
The single leg tail has standard two soft eyes, one of 1,8m (6 feet) length and the other of 0,9m (3 feet) length.
Standard lengths for tankers, LNG and LPG vessels are 11m and 22m but any length can be produced according to client requirements.
Grommet Type
Grommet type tails are used in special applications requiring high strengths.
They have standard two soft eyes, one of 1,8m (6 feet) length and the other of 0,9m (3 feet) length.
The eyes are formed by lashings (seizing the two rope bodies together to form an eye).
The strength of a Grommet mooring tail is 1,6 times the strength of a single leg (of the same material, construction and size) and its length depends on the customer's special requirements.
