Cortland News

Engineered rope specialist Cortland Australia said it has secured a contract to supply Singapore’s ASL Shipyards with high performance Plasma 12x12 towlines for BHP Billiton Towage Services’s new fleet of six RAstar85 ASD escort tugs. The specifically developed ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene Plasma (HMPE) ropes will be the largest used on-board escort tugs in Australia. They will be deployed in Port Hedland, Western Australia. ASL is currently building six escort tugs…

Customized cable and rope specialist Cortland Company said it has received full endorsement from the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) for its inspection and testing facility in Western Australia. The facility has received ISO/IEC 17020 and ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation for the testing and inspection of high performance round slings and ropes used in a range of industries along with associated fittings and hardware. NATA accreditation formally recognizes the facility’s competency in performing specific types of testing and…

The guided-missile cruiser USS Cowpens (CG 63) was inducted as the first ship to undergo a modernization effort that will significantly upgrade its capabilities in multiple mission areas, Sept. 25, at Naval Base San Diego. The CG Phased Modernization Program is designed to balance the Navy's long-term requirement for a carrier strike group air defense commander (ADC) platform and its future shipbuilding requirements. "We are saving money, preserving force structure, and generating options for leadership," said Vice Adm. Tom Rowden, commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet. As part of the ceremony, Cowpens was transferred from the authority of Rowden to Vice Adm. William Hilarides, commander, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA).

Cortland announce the recent award of a patented BOB 12x12 Fiber Rope by Rolls Royce for use on its next Fiber Rope Deployment System (FRDS), which is based on their patented Cable Traction Control Unit (CTCU) technology. The FRDS system, which will have a single fall capacity of 150t, is being built for AKOFS Offshore (AKOFS) and will be deployed on the Aker Wayfarer working on a five year contract for Petrobras. This is the fourth FRDS that will be utilizing Cortland’s BOB 12x12 Fiber Rope since 2006.

Cortland, a global designer and manufacturer of engineered synthetic ropes, heavy lift slings, electro-optical-mechanical cables, and umbilicals has delivered a three-part Plasma 12x12 mooring line configuration for the Battleship Texas, the state historic site. Cortland said it received the quote, visited the site, supplied a quote and delivered the solution in less than a week. Texas is the last battleship to participate in the first and second world wars, and was the first battleship to become a memorial museum in the U.S in 1948.

US cable, rope and umbilical specialist Cortland has expanded its Washington facility in Anacortes. The expansion focus is on the creation of upgraded sales, engineering and administrative spaces. The Anacortes expansion will add an additional 4,800 square feet to the facility, bringing the total square footage to over 82,000. The new area will include 13 new offices, 2 conference rooms, a staff break room and create nearly 3,000 square feet of manufacturing space where the administrative offices are currently located.

Cortland Company recently unveiled its newly-designed website. The website, located at www.cortlandcompany.com, offers a range of information related to Cortland’s products, technologies, and services, including product literature and company news. “As technology advances, it is imperative companies keep their websites up-to-date," said Melissa Suring, Global Marketing Communications Leader. “Cortland’s website was in dire need of a new design. We wanted to put the site together in a way which linked Cortland’s wide range of expertise. One of the website’s key features, an interactive illustration of Cortland’s many niche markets, allows the user to click on any part of the graphic to see the products and services Cortland offers for that industry.

Puget Sound Rope announce that Michael Greenwood has joined Cortland/Puget Sound Rope as Technical Sales Manager. He has more than 34 years in the rope industry, beginning with the family rope company, Tubbs Cordage Company of San Francisco in 1976. For the last 24 years he has been in sales and sales management with Samson Rope Technologies. Greenwood’s past positions included, Western Regional Sales Manager, National Sales Manager, Director of Sales Commercial Marine and finally Director of New Product Development.

When heavy ships are maneuvered in rough waters with a small crew, or oil tankers are escorted through narrow confined channels, the strength and reliability of a tug boat's towline is paramount to safety and efficiency. Tugboats require ship-assist ropes that are extraordinarily strong, yet light enough for a crew of only a few to handle. Tugboat operators around the world have found a solution: Plasma ropes manufactured from Honeywell's Spectra fiber. Made by the Puget Sound Rope Corp. with a unique, patented 12 x 12 braided construction, these are some of the world's strongest synthetic ropes for their weight and are so light, they float. "Puget Sound's 12 x 12 construction method has proved to be a remarkable innovation," said Joel Altus, Foss Maritime's supervisor of vessel rigging.

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), the largest independent institution of its kind in the world, recently began developing a new piston corer for retrieving sediments from the ocean floor. Once complete in 2006, the deep-water coring system will be the largest in the U.S. and among the biggest in the world. The corer’s enormous weight — 25,000 pounds — coupled with the environmental demands associated with working in water up to 20,000 ft. deep presented major technical challenges to the system required to lower the corer to the sea floor then recover it, along with its ancient sediment samples. Located in Cape Cod, Mass.…

Two members of the Atlantic Strike Team deployed today to assist the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at a defunct manufacturing site in Cortland, N.Y. The strike team members will assist the EPA with health and safety oversight, contractor supervision and air quality monitoring at the Buckbee-Mears Company, which produced cathode ray technology for televisions and computers.

Cortland Cable Company announces their certification to the ISO 9001:1994 Quality Systems Standard – Model for Quality Assurance in Design, Development, Production, Installation, and Servicing. The Quality Management System at Cortland Cable Company was independently assessed and certified to the ISO 9001 standard by Det Norske Veritas (DNV) Certification Inc., which is an internationally recognized and certified Registrar Accredited Board (RAB) third party registrar of Quality Management Systems. John Stidd, President of Cortland Cable Company and Chief Executive Officer of The Cortland Companies, states “Our ISO 9001 certification…