Drahtseilwerk GmbH, based in Bremerhaven, Germany, supplied the wire ropes to Irish trawler Veronica earlier this year.
The order was for two 2200m wires. At 42mm in diameter and weighing 18t, General Manager Joachim Pahl tells World Fishing that these are amongst the thickest ropes that the company has produced for the fishing industry.
The rope was supplied to the Veronica by representative Swan-Net Gundry and the contract was around €80,000.
The Veronica has been owned by Atlantic Dawn Fishing since summer 2007 and fishes all Irish pelagic species.
The vessel also ordered a new 1690m circumference pelagic trawl in June this year from Swan-Net Gundry and the new trawl will be put onboard when the vessel starts the fishing season in October.
This year Drahtseilwerk is celebrating its 75th year and the company's goal since 1934 has been to provide ropes of the highest possible quality. In the early days of the company it supplied the ships in the harbours from Bremerhaven to Hamburg. The decline of the German fishing fleet opened up capacities for new markets, which are served with the help of agents in countries from Iceland to South Africa, and Drahtseilwerk now has customers from all over the world.
In the 1980's the production of ropes from compacted strands was introduced and the beginning of the 1990's saw the extension of the company's range to include special non-spinning ropes.
Mr Pahl says that the advantage for customers lies in the company's large stock of standard ropes. He continues that Drahtseilwerk is in a position to react quickly to special requirements. It is not unusual for a product that began as a special request from a customer to become a stock item - for example, the Dura Purse rope for purse seining.
