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DECK MACHINERY magnet drives. While the CTCU controls Antonsen asserts that if you damage Antonsen sees the rope-crane “as an to major automation changes in cranes, the proper spooling and tension of the ? - the rope, you can splice it onboard, sail- enabler for mining … to discover what’s and Rolls-Royce is understood to have ber rope when launching and recovering or-style: no costly going to port to repair on the seabed,” smaller oil? eld vessels sought funds for more virtual crane de- — simpli? ed for the ? ber rope crane a damaged cable or wire. Sensors in the seem to hold the most upside. To get sign.

— the key ability of permanent mag- electronic control system check for di- things smaller in a hurry, Rolls-Royce is In a “Phase 2” JIP started in 2015, safe net electric winch drives is high-torque ameter changes and the wear that heat reaching out to engineers from Croatia crane design guidelines give way to the at low speeds. “It’s the only thing that and sunlight might incur. A bigger plus to India. NOV, Cargotech and VARD search for a safe operations RP, for which counts. It can be hydraulic or electric,” is that while the rope stretches as much are understood to also be in on solving industry partners have been sought. he says. as steel wire, crews need not fear wire’s this “shrink-it” conundrum as part of a While the JIP’s focus is “the longer per-

The Rolls-Royce permanent magnet lethal “snap-back” upon failure. Rope Norwegian Research Council funded spective” for steel wire — rust; over- motor delivers 140 kilo newton meters sags instantly. initiative to shrink “ultra-large” cranes. sized diameters; the challenge of know- of torque for a ? shing winch by creating VARD’s Seaonics has a new boomerang ing its condition; its uncertain lifetime rotating magnetic force that propels a ro- Sales Leads shaped crane understood to take wire or — ? ber rope is not mentioned. Rope- tor around. Like its competitiors, Rolls-Royce say rope “from winch to boom tip”. crane manufacturers are a step ahead of

The rope-crane’s main structural fea- they have new-build and retro? t sales class. “They’re on their own, for now,” ture is a version of this winch technology leads for rope, including for newbuild DNV GL a source says, although, “Lifting activity at its base, in contrast to the vertically offshore construction vessels. Despite In the background, standards bearer has increased. That’s why the technol- spooled NOV rope crane. The space over 15 years of trials, there’s only been DNV GL has done its best to pave the ogy is advancing, but there’s still uncer- freed for having a direct drive system the 2005 delivery of a rope-lift system way for more cranes. In 2012, 18 opera- tainty (in the market and in the tech).” below instead of a problem-prone gear- for Subsea 7 that could be moved be- tors, contractors and vendors worked on To cut that uncertainty, DNV GL is of- box above deck is used for a heated, tween vessels. For contrast, Aalesund a Joint Industry (crane) Project that pro- fering “global lab capabilities for failure air-conditioned steer house with its own Norway’s Seaonics recently secured duced a recommended practice, or RP, investigation” and a new lab in Bergen washroom. a $12.2m order from parent company on steel wire motion compensation. that’ll offer “one of the world’s largest

Beneath the crane, below deck, the Fincantieri for a complete package of “That created some spinoff opportuni- tensile testing (rigs)” at 2,900 t capacity. electronic CTCU winch control checks winches, deck cranes, and over-boarding ties. It was a reason to go deeper,” says Meanwhile, time is ticking: There’s the the ? ber-rope strands for wear while systems including A-frames and launch one of three DNV GL voices in a confer- expected 2017 subsea recovery and sub- compensating for vessel movements by and recovery systems for a polar re- ence call. A “uni? ed language” for those sea maintenance boom, as older systems spooling in and out. search new-build in Italy. systems was sought in a possible prelude are serviced and replaced.

Brazil-bound: AKOFS Aker Wayfarer. (Photo: William Stoichevski) 96 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • NOVEMBER 2016

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