The HMPE warps supplied by Dutch company Flying Dutchman have performed well and some customers are already coming back for repeat orders, according to Erik Meijer.

“The ropes are manufactured by Timms in Slovakia and we are supplying mainly fishing and inland shipping vessels,” he said.

The da Gama rope with its Acera core and jacket made entirely in HMPE is the product that replaces steel wire warps, and when used for seasonal fishing it does not have the disadvantage that wire has of rusting while in storage between seasons.

“We supplied the Osprey Group with this for their fleet for twin-rig trawling for half of the year and they are very satisfied after three seasons. Now we are supplying them with another 8000 metres of da Gama ropes,” he said.

“They haven’t parted a warp and have used this with no problems, but didn’t want to push it too far and decided to switch the warp for new rope after three seasons. Now I need to have a close look at the rope that has come off the boats to check its condition.”

As well as the Osprey twin riggers, he said that there are new vessels joining the Dutch fleet  that he is supplying with da Gama rope for warp, and in Holland Flying Dutchman represents Danish company Greenline Fishing Gear for trawl hardware.

“As well as the jacketed da Gama rope, we also supply Amundsen unjacketed rope, mainly to customers in inland shipping – as well as jacketed rope for the strops used to secure push barge payloads.”

“The rope is seven times lighter than steel – and double the price – but it lasts longer. We reckon on eighteen months of use, against twelve months for steel, plus it doesn’t rust when you take it off between seasons and there’s no rust or grease on the deck when it’s on board.”

Flying Dutchman supplied ropes spliced and ready to use, as well as with certification.

“We aways supply a certificate, even though for fishing it’s not mandatory,” he said. “If there is a problem, such as a parted warp, then we send someone to fix it to be sure that it’s done properly.”

He added that much of the HMPE rope is recycled after use, and by stripping off the protective jacket, the warp can be used for other purposes.