New life for used mooring lines

Acckon is developing a solution that will make it possible to re-use discarded mooring lines from ships – also called hawsers. Today large quantities of these ropes are discarded or end as landfill, even though they consist of valuable plastic.

Hawsers are used to moor ships in harbour, and they quickly become worn. They are often replaced after a few years.

Acckon’s solution can separate the different types of plastic in the ropes, so that the materials can be used again in new products instead of being wasted.

Globally, about 75,000 tons of plastic hawsers are produced each year. Re-using the material will reduce the need for new plastic, resulting in less refuse and lowering the environmental impact of shipping.

“The support of the Vissing Foundation will enable Acckon to continue developing and testing the technology, so that it can be implemented on a larger scale and contribute to more circular and sustainable management of plastic in the maritime sector,” explains Clara Anna Olsen, co-founder and CEO of Acckon.