The manufacture and use of high quality steel anchor chains has developed rapidly as the mordern needs for very large marine vessels increased.
The anchor chain is a series of metallic rings of link chains, used for the purpose of to attached the anchor to a ship. By use of an anchor windlass equipment, the ship anchor can be lowered or raised.Before the advent of the modern day steel anchor chains, ships used ropes like the hemp rope for this purpose. But these ropes can get easily entangled and difficult to disentangle. And also, over time and in some very harsh climatic conditions, these ropes proved to be less effective and they break easily, losing the ship anchor at sea. Even hygenically, wet ropes due to the marine environment, does tend to get easily contaminated and this can cause some illness at sea, due to its toxic vapour.But such as these are not possible to the steel anchor chains used today, which are more firm and stronger.Its difficult to imagine and ocean vessel without an anchor, so also its anchor chains. As the marine vessels increased in size and tonnage, so does the need for high quality and stronger anchor chains. To be able to firmly hold the marine vessel in place while anchored.
To ensure the safety of operation, and maintain high quality standards for the anchor chains, the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), develops and formulates classification rules for the manufacture of anchor chains, according to the classification society concerned. The various classifications society members are as follows: 1. Det Norske Veritas Germanischer Lloyd (DNV GL) 2. Registro Italiano Navale (RINA) 3. American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) 4. Bureau Veritas (BV) 5. Lloyd's Register (LR) 6. China Classification Society (CCS) 7. Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS) 8. Korean Register of Shipping (KR) 9. Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (NK/ClassNK) 10. Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) 11. Polish Register of Shipping (PRS) 12. Croatian Register of Shipping (CRS)The manufacture of anchor chains according to classification rule are considered to be safer, more superior, and consequently more durable. Most vessels these days makes it mandatory for their anchor chains and other equipment to be supplied with classification certificate, because this assures them of its quality.
Manufacturers of anchor chains, are first certified by the concerned classification society member e.g. DNV GL, ABS, KR, RS, Etc. before they are allowed to produced anchor chains according to their rule. This enables the anchor chain manufacturer to produce a certifiable chain. During the manufacturing process, a classification society surveyor ensures that the rules are strictly adhered, before the chain is finally certified and a class certificated is issued for that particular set of anchor chains.Anchor Chains manufacturers:1. DaiHan Anchor Chain Mfg. Co., Ltd. (South Korea)2. Asian Star Anchor Chain Co., Ltd. Jiangsu (China)3. Qingdao Anchor Chain Co., Ltd. (China)Anchor Manufacturers:1. Chongqing Xinye Marine Casting Co., Ltd. (China)
