Hydranautics' Transfer System Now In Use At Rauma Repola Yard

Fabricating and transferring of ships and drill rigs using special Hydranautics hydraulic systems equipment has begun at Rauma Repola's Mantyluoto yard in Pori, Finland.

The equipment permits ships of 8,500 tons steel weight to be constructed on land in sections, then assembled and moved onto a concrete floating dock for launching. The equipment can also be used for ship retrieval.

One of the first ships to be handled by the new Hydranautics system was the first of the three drillships ordered by V/O Sudoimport.

This ship is said to be the world's first ice-classified drilling vessel and is designed for oil exploration in the Arctic.

Hydranautics designed the 8,500-ton transfer system that includes jacking beam, pile cap, roller cage assembly and roller beams, and floating dock beams. Equipment provided by Hydranautics includes eight 110- ton gripper jack assemblies with a maximum moving capacity of 10,000 tons at 0.088 coefficient of friction; two 75-hp power/control units; six lift-and-lower, two-stage 70-ton jacks with 40-inch stroke; 34 hydraulic po- sitioning jacks for vertical lift and horizontal move during positioning of ship sections; and accompanying interconnecting hoses with quick disconnects.

In operation, the lifting/lowering jacks are used to remove the ship section from a wheeled vehicle to the roller beams. The positioning jacks are used to align ship sections in preparation for ship assembly welding.

The gripper jacks are used to move major ship sections and to move the entire ship on roller beams directly onto the floating dock for launching.

Rauma-Repola officials at Pori report complete satisfaction with the fact that the new Hydranautics heavy-load moving system allows easy access of men and equipment to the ships under construction. They also report appreciable savings in cost and time with the way the division is now able to build ships.

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Maritime Reporter

First published in 1881 Maritime Reporter is the world's largest audited circulation publication serving the global maritime industry.