Cargo Handling Equipment

There are the various items of machinery and equipment found outside of the machinery space. These include deck machinery such as mooring equipment, anchor handling equipment, cargo handling equipment and hatch covers. Other items include lifeboats and life rafts, emergency equipment, watertight doors, stabilisers and bow thrusters.

The operations of mooring, cargo handling and anchor handling all involve controlled pulls or lifts using chain cables, wire or hemp ropes. The drive force and control arrangements adopted will influence the operations.

Two forms of power are currently in use: hydraulic and electric. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages for particular duties or locations.

Cargo winches are used with the various derrick systems arranged for cargo handling. The unit is rated according to the safe working load to be lifted and usually has a double-speed provision when working at half load.

In the cargo winch, spur reduction gearing transfers the motor drive to the barrel shaft. A warp end may be fitted for operating the derrick topping lift. Manually operated band brakes may be fitted and the drive motor will have a brake arranged to fail-safe, i.e. it will hold the load if power fails or the machine is stopped.

A derrick rig is known as 'union purchase'. One derrick is positioned over the quayside and the other almost vertically over the hold. Topping wires fix the height of the derricks and stays to the deck may be used to prevent fore and aft movement. Cargo handling wires run from two winches and join at the hook. A combination of movements from the two winch es enables lifting, transfer and lowering of the cargo. This is only one of several possible derrick arrangements or rigs. Although being very popular for many years, it requires considerable crew time to set up and considerable manpower for operation.

Cranes have replaced derricks on many modern ships, cranes are positioned between the holds often on a platform which can be rotated through 360°. The deck crane provides an immediately operational unit requiring only one man to operate it. Double gearing is a feature of most designs, providing a higher speed at lighter loads. Various types of crane exist for particular duties, for example a general duties crane using a hook and a grabbing crane for use with bulk cargoes. A general cargo crane has three separate drives that provide the principal movements: a hoisting motor for lifting the load, a motor for raising or lowering the jib and a slewing motor for rotating the crane. The operator's cab is designed to provide clear views of all the cargo working area so that the crane operator can function alone. The crane is usually mounted on a pedestal to offer adequate visibility to the operator.

Maintenance.All deck machinery is exposed to the most severe aspects of the elements. Total enclosure of all working parts is usual with splash lubrication for gearing. The various bearings on the shafts will be greased by pressure grease points. Open gears and clutches are lubricated with open gear compound. Particular maintenance tasks will be associated with the type of motor drive employed.

Exercise 3. Answer the following questions:

1. What is this text about? 2. What cargo handling equipment do you know? 3. What cargo handling equipment is mentioned in the text? 4. What mooring or anchor handling equipment is on board of a ship? 5. What should be done for keeping all mentioned equipment in good condition?

Exercise 4. Give equivalents:

· in Russian: slew gear, to slacken, pedestal, power pack, cable lifter, windlass, failure, jib, to warp around, tension, spurling pipe, reduction gear, cable locker, watertight doors, take-off, pump suction head, stowage rack, flush, roller, hatch cover, at half load, clutch;

· in English: якорное устройство, поворотный механизм, двойная зубчатая передача, опорная плита, зубец или подпорка, загрузочно-разгрузочное оборудование, крышка люка или люковое закрытие, брызги, стреловое устройство, грузовой захват, кнехт, заранее устанавливать, ослаблять, брашпиль, пристань, выбиваться, блок питания, клин или крепительная планка, однопроводной, блокировать, находящийся под напряжением, незначительный, система среднего давления, лебедка, транспортеры, подъемные механизмы, стрелы, аппарели или рампы, люковые закрытия.

Exercise 5. Read the text carefully and find the following words and expressions in English.

кнехт, зубец или подпора, подъем, брашпиль, основной, закреплять,

обматывать, заранее устанавливать, захватывать,

натягивать, ослаблять, вертикальная ось, вращаться,

кулачковая муфта, бочка или барабан