Page 53: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (April 2006)

April 2006 53

Rapp Mareq LLC (an affiliate of Rapp

Hydema U.S.) marked a historic achievement early this year with the signing of a contract for the two largest winches in company history. Rapp's

MHW-200 design for the larger winch handles 11,000 ft. of three-in. wire at nearly 300 tons line pull first layer. The second winch, Rapp's MHW-140 design accommodates 2.375-in. wire at nearly 200 tons line pull first layer. Both DNV- certified winches will be utilized in deep-sea ROV support and other opera- tions, and will be delivered this year.

Rapp also won two other contracts with another international deepwater firm late last year. A first order in

Houston was closely followed by anoth- er deepwater/ROV-related order with the Houston firm's Norwegian counter- part office.

Rapp winches for the first project are five-speed and designed to make pin- point stops, with full loads, at great working depths. Rapp's own multi- motor gearboxes provide powering, so that if one motor fails, remaining ones can still operate the winch, albeit at a lower capacity. Rapp's module-based design allows for substitution of drums, drive units, and braking assemblies, allowing for adaptation to different applications-instead of purchase or rental of a different winch. Rapp's PTS

Pentagon system, which is proven on

VT Halter's NOAA FRV project, is also to be installed, and Rapp is providing enclosed Hydraulic Power Units (HPUs) for the winches.

Rapp Hydema U.S. chairman Tor S.

Andersen said that "these deepwater contracts are quite significant, not only because of their high value, but because of the prestige and exposure that arises from projects of such breadth." He added that these orders will move Rapp toward first-time development of winch- es deploying sophis- ticated equipment for oil installations, at greater depths than ever before.

Also of note, the Rapp winch- es are DNV-certified for lifting appliances.

Rapp Mareq LLC is a new affiliate of parent company Rapp Hydema U.S., headquartered in Seattle. Incorporated in 2003, the new firm is specifically tasked with development of the U.S.

Gulf Coast market, and is increasingly active in the offshore oil and workboat industries. For this reason, a Houston office was opened in May 2005, and other local facilities are under consider- ation.

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Navy Ship Superstructure

Placed using SyncHoist

Only one crane was available for plac- ing the 600-ton superstructure onto the hull of the Tenix, a multifunctional ship under construction for the New Zealand

Navy. Merwede Shipyards was looking for an alternative to the traditional two- crane operation and it found Enerpac, which offered a solution that was the combination of a single floating crane plus Enerpac's hydraulic SyncHoist positioning system.

Lifting and positioning this super- structure to precise geometric tolerances in both the vertical and horizontal planes nor- mally requires the use of two floating cranes. The superstructure was constructed of sheet steel and care had to be taken so that the structure would not deflect when it was lifted, otherwise unac- ceptable stresses could occur within the superstructure. "The weight of the structure is no problem for a single crane. It's the vol- ume that makes it awkward," said Johan van Vuuren, project manager at

Merwede Shipyards. "You can compare it to lifting a flexible cardboard box.

That's why we intended to lift the super- structure using two cranes."

The SyncHoist system, developed by

Enerpac, allowed the load to be maneu-

Need anchors and chains?

G.J. Wortelboer Jr. B.V.

P.O. Box 5003

NL-3008 AA Rotterdam

Tel: +31 10 429 2222

Fax: +31 10 429 6459 [email protected] www.wortelboer.nl

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NEED A LIFT?

Military Cranes

Offshore Rig

Cranes

Barge Cranes

Bulk Material

Handling Cranes

Yacht Cranes

Oceanographic

Cranes cranes are represented in

North America by DMW Marine, LLC

Phone 610-827-2032 • Fax 610-827-1199 www.dmwmarine.com • [email protected]

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SPI/Mobile Pulley Works Climbing Back

In January 2003, Steel Processors, Inc. merged with SPI/Mobile Pulley Works, Inc. to form the present company, and in that same year pur- chased all of the assets of the old Mobile Pulley and Machine Works. This acquisition allowed

SPI/Mobile Pulley to inherit 100 years of engi- neering and patterns. In November, 2004,

SPI/Mobile Pulley Works, Inc. (SPI-MPW) moved its heavy machine and fabrication manu- facturing business to Mobile at the site of the old

Mobile Pulley at 905 South Ann Street. From its early beginnings in 1892, the old Mobile Pulley had an international reputation for quality and volume of production. When it ceased operations in 2003,

Mobile Pulley closed its large foundry, once the world's largest producer of ball joints and a leading producer of individual castings.

SPI-MPW will be building a new fabrication department beginning in the near future, and the existing foundry is currently being refurbished and getting back into operation.

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Rapp Mareq Wins Contract for its Two Largest Winches Ever

Fugro's M/V Bucentaur, working off Brazil.

Rapp deepwater designs, and a general drawing of the MHW-200.

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