Page 9: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (September 2001)

Investment in

A Shipboard Gantry Crane History

The first open hatch vessel (12,000 dwt) with gantry cranes was delivered to

Oestberg's Rederi, in Norway, Decem- ber 1962. This revolutionary vessel and crane design was a result of cooperation between Oestberg, Crown Zellerbach

Co. and the Munck Group in Bergen.

Crown Zellerbach Co. was one of the leading pulp and paper companies, located in San Francisco. Its shipping department was headed by Clyde

Jacobs, who was a driving force in mak- ing the Open Hatch design the new stan- dard for paper and pulp transportation at sea. At that time the vessels were pri- marily based on the traditional "Shelter

Deck" design and the loading and unloading was done with complicated "boom and winch" arrangements. The

Open Hatch Bulk Carrier, or OHBC, as the vessels are commonly referred to, are unique in its design in many respects. With its large and square holds, they are designed to carry unitized cargo, and to offer high efficiency with respect to capacity utilization. Paper and

Pulp is typically referred to as "Unitized

Cargo," which means that most cargo units have uniform dimensions and weight. To utilize maximum capacity, the cargo must be stowed up alongside the hold sides, which again necessitates square holds. Unlike conventional bulk carriers, which have small hatches for entry of electro-hydraulic grabs, the hatches on OHBC vessels cover the entire beam of the ship. This is neces- sary for stowing, loading and unloading alongside the vertical walls of the holds.

As a result, the hatches are therefore designed to be a structural part of the ship. The Munckloader Gantry Crane was the first to utilize hydraulic jacks on the crane legs for the task of lifting the hatches, and using the gantry motion to the horizontally move and position the hatches.

Munckloader developed a new genera- tion of gantry cranes in 1993. The new design enclosed most of the electrical and mechanical components inside the main construction, helping to make the outside surface as smooth as possible.

This was done to protect components and reduce maintenance and spare part needs.

Operational and rigging speeds were significantly increased, and it was the first gantry crane to utilize frequency controlled AC motors.

KCI Konecranes is a leading engineer- ing group specializing in advanced over- head lifting solutions and maintenance services. The last fiscal year ended — 2000 — was a particularly prosperous one for the company, as operating

September, 2001 income grew 23 percent, net sales grew 19 percent, and order intake grew 42 percent, according to Stig Gustavson, president and CEO. The crane industry, by his estimation, is still a fragmented one, and an industry in need of contin- ued consolidation. KCI Konecranes has been a lead proponent of this consolida- tion, acquiring 10 companies in 2000.

According to Gustavson, the company has the resources and desire to continue this trend.

Circle 7 on Reader Service Card www.mariHmereporlerinh.com

The Ultimate & Complete Treatment for Vibration &

Noise for integral Engine/Gear Systems

LO-REZ SOFT MOUNT® SYSTEM

Over 385 propulsion applications in place in all types of vessels.

Typical isolation efficiency 97%.

Typical noise reduction 20+dBA.

Lo-Rez RT Coupling • Takes Reverse Thrust • Low Stiffness

Noise Attenuation

Non-Lubricated

No Thrust Bearing Req.

High Damping

Lo-Rez BR-T Isolator

Carries Full Thrust

Height Adjustment

Controlled Motion

Damping

Isolation over Speed Range

LOflEZ VIBRATION CONTROL LTD. 186 West 8th Ave..

Vancouver, B.C.,

Canada. V5Y 1N2

Tel: (604) 879-2974

Fax: (604) 879-6588

E-Mail: [email protected]

Web: www.LO-REZ.COM

Circle 249 on Reader Service Card or visit www.maritimereporterinfo.com

The fish can't believe their eyes

Now Ws your turn

Insist upon

Barkemeyer manoeuvring^ % equipment

Barkemeyer Schiffstechnik GmbH & Co. KG., Birkenweg 11, D-21465 Reinbek

Tel.: +49 (0)40 7118020, Fax:+49 (0)40 7110086

E-mail: [email protected], lnternet:www.barkemeyer.com

Circle 210 on Reader Service Card or visit www.maritimereporterinfo.com

No other branch of shipping makes such high demands on vessel availability and schedule integrity as does container shipping. That's why smart container carriers choose the market leader. More than half of all container ship newbuildings are awarded GL class with nearly a third of the world's container fleet classed with GL.

GL was the first classification society to • include fatigue factors in the scantling rules • publish container lashing rules • calculate global strength and vibrations for Post

Panamax container ships • introduce "girderless" holds in large container ships www.germanlloyd.org

Germanischer Lloyd

ADVANCED SHIP TECHNOLOGY

Head Office • Vorsetzen 32/35 • D-20459 Hamburg

Phone [+49 (0)4016149-0] • Fax [+49 (0) 40 3 6149-200/ • E-mail [[email protected]]

Circle 230 on Reader Service Card or visit www.maritimereporterinfo.com