TRADE AND EQUIPMENT NEWS
the Caribbean, Germany, and the USA. To date, the Radio Holland Group has 54 branches and still has more expansion plans. With this worldwide network, Radio Holland can supply all required maritime electronics, spare parts and provide service and maintenance support at any location, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The company is keen to further increase its service capabilities around the world such as in ports in the Far East, India, the Middle East, and Europe where it is not represented. Within five years the company hopes to have 70 to 80 subsidiaries around the world. Radio Holland China is also officially the first European-based marine electronics service company registered as a foreign-owned enterprise in China. The Group recently opened a new service/sales working office in Tianjin. Contact: Radio Holland Netherlands, Eekhoutstraat 2, 3087 AB Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Tel: +31 10 4283387. Fax: +31 10 4281498. E-mail:
info@radioholland.nl
New bearing for rudder steering linkage and deck equipment applications
ThorPlas, a new proprietary engineered (non- elastomer) thermoplastic bearing, has recently been launched by Thordon Bearings Inc. This has been formulated to complement the existing range of Thordon elastomer bearing grades and expands the range of applications where the company's bearings can be specified, while still maintaining many of the performance benefits. ThorPlas allows greasing to be eliminated, and its strength and rigidity permits working pressures in an interference fit bearing up to 31MPa. The internal lubricants formulated into ThorPlas help reduce friction, resulting in smooth operation without lubrication and it can operate above and below the water line. It is also easily machined, is dust-free, and can suit any required dimensions. Installation is said to be quick and easy, using freeze-fit techniques. As part of Thordon's StageGate new product development programme, Thordon has been test- marketing ThorPlas since 2003 and has many
installations in operation and working successfully. Typical marine applications for ThorPlas include steering-gear tiller arm and jockey-bar linkage bushings, fairleads and rope rollers, self-unloader booms, cranes and hoists, barge trolleys, davits and gantries, door and ramp hinge bushings, and hydraulic cylinder rod ends. Contact: Thordon Bearings Inc, 3225 Mainway Drive, Burlington, Ontario L7M 1A6, Canada. Tel: + 1 905 335-1440. Fax: + 1 905 335-4033.
www.thordonbearings.com
Fast shipboard fire detection
Video smoke detection (VDS) is a fast and accurate technology that can detect a fire early on and pinpoint its exact location. Developed by an UK-based company D-Tec, it is now said to be making inroads into the marine market. VDS is a camera-based fire detection system that is suited to large, voluminous structures and unmanned locations, such as enginerooms and holds. It is currently being trialled by navies worldwide on fighting ships, and has also been installed on a Statoil North Sea oil platform, where it is protecting a generating-set room. Such locations are challenging, since they are prone to heavy vibration and atmospheric contamination. The Factory Mutual-approved system works by computer analysis of video images received from standard CCTV cameras that can also be used for surveillance purposes. It uses advanced image process technology developed by D-Tec and extensive detection and known false alarm phenomena algorithms to automatically identify the particular motion pattern of smoke. The system alerts a control room operator to the presence of smoke in the shortest possible time, and because VSD does not rely on the proximity of smoke to the detector, it is not effected by distance. The system detects smoke by seeking small areas of change within an image. They are then passed through a series of filters that seek particular characteristics that are known to be associated with smoke behaviour. Other, more traditional systems are claimed to be more unreliable and prone to false alarms as they cannot differentiate between smoke and
other sources of movement. Crew are also placed in less danger, and VDS shows the exact source of the fire, so no investigations are needed.
Also recently launched is FireVu, a VDS installation that can monitor a potential fire to ensure continuous fast response, as well as remote testing and diagnostics. This means that a VDS installation on board a ship can be monitored, including the alarm and video images, from a number of locations, on land or sea, anywhere in the world, as well as from the bridge of a ship on which the system is installed.
An entire fleet can, in fact, be monitored form any control centre. FireVu also allows VDS installations to be remotely maintained or reconfigured while a ship is at sea. This means a vessel remains protected at all times, and reduces port turnround times. Contact: D-Tec Ltd, Turner House, 9-10 Mill Lane, Alton, Hampshire GU34 2QG, UK.
Tel: +44 870 458 1517. Fax: +44 870 458 1518. E-mail:
sales@dtec-fire.com
Cargo access gear for Brittany Ferries' new trailer ship
Cargo access equipment will be supplied and installed by MacGregor on Brittany Ferries' new trailer ro-pax vessel, currently on order at Aker Yards, which will be able to transport 120 freight vehicles at a cruising speed of 23knots. The 2200lane metre ferry is designed to work on routes from the UK to Cherbourg, in France, and Santander, in Spain. The 165m long and 26.8m wide ship will have 120 cabins, and is scheduled for delivery from Aker Finnyards' site in Helsinki in autumn 2007.
Freight-handling efficiency will be smoothed by a comprehensive hydraulically- operated ro-ro equipment package, based on stern access and a bow door/ramp. Clear deck heights of 5.2m are offered on the main deck and upper deck and 4.6m on the tanktop. The single-section main stern ramp/door has a length of 6.0m (plus 1.5m flaps) and offers a 19.8m- wide driveway into the main vehicle deck. A side-hinged watertight ramp cover is arranged above fixed ramps accessing the lower hold. The two-section cover is 42m long and provides a clear opening width of 4.5m to the tanktop. A hoistable ramp (48m long plus 5m flaps with a 6.1m driveway) will serve between decks 3 and 5, closing weathertight in the upper deck when not transferring vehicles. Forward access into the main vehicle deck will be arranged over a three-section bow ramp with an overall length of 17.5m (including 2m flaps) and a driveway of 6.0m.
Also being supplied are: operating equipment for the bow door, one top-hinged forward door, two vertical sliding-type pilot/bunker doors, and two engineroom hatches.
Contact: Karl-Axel Persson, MacGregor
A typical application for ThorPlas: in a self- unloader boom bushing. It is seen here during fitting at Grand Bahama Shipyard.
44
(SWE) AB, Box 4113, SE-400 40 Gothenburg, Sweden. Tel: +46 31 850 794. Fax: +46 31 428 825. E-mail:
Karl-Axel.Persson@
macgregorroro.com
THE NAVALARCHITECT FEBRUARY 2006
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100