EP3328724B1 - Assembly and method for securing containers - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a container ship with several stacks of containers and an arrangement for securing the containers.

The arrangement comprises a first container stack, a second container stack. A first lashing unit extends from a container corner of the first container stack to a first articulation fitting of the container ship. A second lashing unit extends from a container corner of the second container stack to a second articulation fitting of the container ship. The distance between the container corners is greater than the distance between the pivot fittings.

When transporting containers on ocean-going vessels, a plurality of containers are stacked on top of one another. The containers are secured so that the stacks of containers are stable even in rough seas. The fuse usually includes a direct connection through so-called twistlocks. The twistlocks connect the four corners of two containers that lie directly on top of each other. The twist locks prevent the containers from being able to move in the horizontal direction relative to one another and prevent the containers from being lifted from one another by a force acting vertically upwards.

However, securing with twistlocks is not always sufficient to prevent the stack of containers from tipping over into to prevent lateral direction or an impermissible, horizontal deformation of the door or front side reliably. Particularly in the case of higher container stacks, in which a larger number of containers are stacked on top of one another, container stacks are therefore additionally secured with lashing units that are stretched between the container stacks and articulation fittings of the container ship.

document GB 1 245 170 presents a lashing device with additional length links; document WO 03/072427 presents a lashing device with a connecting part, a threaded spindle and a detachable anti-twist device.

A thread device is provided for tensioning the lashing units in order to change the length of the lashing unit. In particular, if the lashing units have a large adjustment range, there may be a conflict between the thread devices of two adjacent lashing units. The thread device can then no longer be operated because it hits the other lashing unit.

The invention is based on the object of presenting a container ship with an arrangement for securing the container Z and a method for securing containers, with which an enlarged range of adjustment of the lashing units is made possible. Based on the stated prior art, the object is achieved with the features of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are specified in the subclaims.

In the arrangement of the container ship according to the invention, both lashing units cross a vertical plane which extends through a transverse joint between two stacks of containers. For both lashing units, the distance between the vertical plane and the pivot fitting is smaller than the distance between the vertical plane and the corner of the container. The last-mentioned distance is preferably more than a factor of 2, more preferably more than a factor of 4, more preferably more than a factor of 6 greater than the first-mentioned distance.

A transverse joint is the cavity that is enclosed between the longitudinal walls of two directly adjacent stacks of containers. The vertical plane, which extends in the longitudinal direction along the transverse joint, is normally crossed in the extension of the transverse joint. The vertical plane is preferably arranged centrally in the transverse joint. In the context of the invention, the term transverse joint always refers to precisely this one transverse joint that is closer to the pivot fitting than to the corner of the container. This transverse joint is preferably arranged centrally between the first stack of containers and the second stack of containers.

Since, according to the invention, both lashing units cross the vertical plane, an additional overlap between the lashing units is accepted. This additional overlap, which increases the complexity and which therefore appears to be disadvantageous at first glance, gains space in the transverse direction that can be used for the thread device. The thread device and thus the adjustment range of the lashing unit can be longer without the thread device hitting adjacent lashing units.

The two lashing units can each be attached to a lower corner of a container. This is particularly useful if there are no lashing units attached to the upper corner of the container immediately below.

In particular in the case of double lashing, in which two container corners lying directly on top of one another are secured with lashing units, it can be useful if the lashing units are each attached to an upper corner of the container.

It is not ruled out that one of the lashing units may be attached to an upper corner of the container and the other to a lower corner of the container.

With double lashing, there are a total of four lashing units and four associated articulation fittings. The first and second pivot fittings form a first pair of pivot fittings, the second and third pivot fittings form a second pair of pivot fittings.

The two lashing units extend from the first pair of articulation fittings, as described, with an intersection of the vertical plane to the first container stack and to the second container stack. The third and fourth lashing units also extend from the second pair of pivot fittings to the first stack of containers and to the second stack of containers. It is possible for the third and fourth lashing units to be connected to the second pair of pivot fittings in such a way that one or both lashing units also cross the vertical plane.

In a preferred embodiment, the vertical plane is not crossed by the third lashing unit and the fourth lashing unit. The third lashing unit and the fourth lashing unit are then preferably attached to a lower corner of the container. The first lashing unit and the second lashing unit can be attached to an upper corner of the container immediately below.

The two articulation fittings of the first pair are preferably arranged in different longitudinal positions. The first lashing unit and the second lashing unit can thus be guided past one another without a collision. The pivot fittings of the second pairs can also be arranged in different longitudinal positions. In a preferred embodiment, the articulation fittings of the second pair are arranged in the same longitudinal position. Since only the two articulation fittings of the first pair are offset from one another in the longitudinal direction, the four articulation fittings take up little space in the longitudinal direction.

In order to keep the articulation area compact in the longitudinal direction, the articulation fittings, viewed in the longitudinal direction, are preferably as close to one another as possible. The four articulation fittings preferably extend in the longitudinal direction over a total of no more than 50 cm, preferably no more than 20 cm.

In order to keep the articulation area compact, it is also advantageous if all the articulation fittings are arranged in the same horizontal plane. The articulation fittings can each comprise a bore through which a bolt of the lashing unit can be passed in order to fasten the lashing unit to the articulating fitting. The bore can, for example, have a diameter between 3 cm and 8 cm. The bores of the four articulation fittings can be aligned parallel to one another. The bores preferably extend in the longitudinal direction.

If the third and fourth lashing units do not cross the vertical plane, it is advantageous for the adjustment range if the pivot fittings of the second pair are as small as possible from one another in the transverse direction. The distance in the transverse direction is preferably less than 30 cm, more preferably less than 20 cm, more preferably less than 10 cm. If the pivot fittings have two holes parallel to each other, the information refers to the distance between the axes of the holes. Cross direction is the direction that the cross joint intersects perpendicularly. The longitudinal direction is parallel to the transverse joint.

The pivot fittings of the first pair can have a greater distance from one another in the transverse direction than the pivot fittings of the second pair. The greater the distance, the more space is generally gained in the transverse direction. On the other hand, the distance in the transverse direction should not be selected so large that the thread devices of the first and second locking units abut against one another when they are actuated. The distance in the transverse direction between the two articulation fittings of the first pair can be greater, for example, by a factor between 1.2 and 4, preferably by a factor between 1.5 and 3, than the distance in the transverse direction between the two articulation fittings of the second pair. For example, the distance can be between 20 cm and 50 cm.

In all variants, the articulation fittings of the second pair can be arranged symmetrically to the transverse joint. The pivot fittings of the first pair can, viewed in the transverse direction, have the same distance from the center of the transverse joint. Viewed in the longitudinal direction, the first pair of articulation fittings can be at a greater distance from the container stacks than the second pair of articulation fittings.

The container stacks each consist of a plurality of containers arranged one above the other. The containers can be standard containers such as those used in global container trade. Each container has a total of eight standardized container corners, which enable uniform handling and securing of the containers. The containers of the container stack are preferably arranged vertically one above the other, so that the four lower container corners of the upper container rest on the four upper container corners of the container arranged below. The two stacks of containers are preferably arranged in the same longitudinal position, so that the end faces are in a common plane. The lashing units are preferably attached to one end of the container. The plane of the end faces corresponds to the transverse direction.

The first and second container stacks can be arranged on a deck hatch of the container ship. The container stack can for example comprise between five and fifteen containers stacked one on top of the other. The lashing units according to the invention can, for example, be attached to the fifth or sixth container, with the numbering of containers within a container stack counting from the bottom. In particular, in both stacks of containers, one of the lashing units can be attached to a lower corner of the sixth container, while the other lashing unit is attached to an upper corner of the fifth container.

The arrangement of the container stacks of the container ship according to the invention can be such that the first container stack and the second container stack are arranged directly next to one another. In this case, the lashing units can each extend across the end face of the container stack in question and beyond the opposite vertical container edge (internal lashing). The transverse joint that is crossed by the first and second lashing unit is then the transverse joint between the first and second container stack.

In an alternative arrangement of container stacks, the first and second container stacks according to the invention enclose two further container stacks between them. In this case, the lashing units can each extend across the face of one of the two enclosed container stacks (external lashing). The transverse joint that is crossed by the first and second lashing unit in the vicinity of the respective articulation fitting is then the transverse joint between the two enclosed stacks of containers.

The invention also relates to a container ship with an arrangement of at least two, preferably at least three, more preferably at least four container stacks arranged directly next to one another, which are secured with lashing units in the manner according to the invention. For each affected container, two lashing units are attached to one end. The standard containers to which the invention is applied come in two different heights, namely 8 feet, 6 inches and 9 feet, 6 inches. The difference between these two heights is 1 foot, which is approximately 305 mm. The stacks of containers according to the invention can have a significantly different height, depending on whether small or large containers are stacked on top of one another. The difference between the smallest variant (five small containers on top of each other) and the largest variant (five large containers on top of each other) is 5 x 305 mm = 1525 mm. This difference in height should be able to be compensated for by the attachment units according to the invention.

The invention makes it possible to provide a single type of lashing unit with which all stacks of containers from the smallest variant to the largest variant can be covered. The overlap according to the invention of the units to be attached pays off especially with the smallest variant. The lashing unit then forms a small angle with the horizontal, with the result that the adjusting mechanism extends far in the horizontal direction. In this constellation, there would be a conflict with an adjacent lashing unit if the overlapping lashing units according to the invention were to be dispensed with.

The connecting units preferably each include a first connection means for establishing a connection with a container corner and a second connection means for establishing a connection with a pivot fitting of the container ship. The first connecting means can be designed as a hook fitting which is inserted into an opening in the corner of the container. The second connecting means can be designed as a fork part. The connection to the articulation fitting can be established in that the fork part is guided over the articulation fitting and is connected to the articulation fitting with a socket pin.

A threaded part, a tensioning screw and a lashing rod can extend between the two connecting means. The threaded part is preferably firmly connected to the fork part. The threaded part can extend centrally from the fork part. In a preferred embodiment, the threaded part is arranged eccentrically on the fork part. More generally speaking, a connecting part of the lashing unit pointing in the direction of the container corner is connected eccentrically to the fork part. In particular, starting from a central position, the connecting part can be displaced parallel to the direction of the socket pin. This makes it possible to have two lashing units to lead past one another even if the articulation fittings are not offset in the longitudinal direction relative to one another.

The lashing rod can be attached to the hook fitting, wherein the hook fitting can have a plurality of receiving positions, so that the distance between the end face of the container and the lashing rod can be adjusted. The connection between the lashing rod and the threaded part can be made using the tensioning screw. The tensioning screw is preferably in threaded engagement with the threaded part and is rotatably connected to the lashing rod. If the clamping screw is screwed onto the threaded part, the lashing rod is pulled in the direction of the threaded part and the lashing unit is put under tension.

The lashing rod preferably comprises a plurality of receptacles for the tensioning screw. The receptacles can be designed as a thickening (knob) of the lashing rod, so that the clamping screw can be attacked in different positions on the lashing rod via a knob receptacle in order to allow a rough adjustment of the length of the lashing unit. The fine adjustment and the tensioning of the lashing unit are done via the tensioning screw and the threaded part.

The invention also relates to a method for securing containers, in which a first lashing unit is attached to a container corner of a first container stack and to a first pivot fitting of a container ship, in which a second lashing unit is attached to a container corner of a second container stack and to a second pivot fitting of the container ship is posted so that the distance between the container corners is larger than the distance between the pivot fittings. According to the invention, the two lashing units are attached in such a way that they cross a vertical plane which extends along a transverse joint between two stacks of containers. The distance between the vertical plane and the articulation fitting is in each case smaller than the distance between the vertical plane and the corner of the container.

The method can be developed with further features which are described in connection with the arrangement according to the invention. The arrangement can be developed with further features which are described in connection with the method according to the invention.

Fig. 1:

ein Containerschiff in einer Seitenansicht;

Fig. 2:

eine Ansicht auf die Stirnseite einer Anordnung von zwei benachbarten Containerstapeln;

Fig. 3:

die Ansicht gemäß Fig. 2 bei einer Anordnung von vier benachbarten Containerstapeln;

Fig. 4:

eine erfindungsgemäße Anordnung von Zurreinheiten; und

Fig. 5:

ein Detail einer erfindungsgemäßen Zurrstange;

Fig. 6:

ein Detail einer alternativen Ausführungsform einer erfindungsgemäßen Zurrstange; und

Fig. 7:

die Zurrstange gemäß Fig. 6 in zwei unterschiedlichen Zuständen.

The invention is described below by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings on the basis of advantageous embodiments. Show it:

Fig. 1:

a container ship in a side view;

Fig. 2:

a view of the end face of an arrangement of two adjacent stacks of containers;

Fig. 3:

the view according to Fig. 2 with an arrangement of four adjacent stacks of containers;

Fig. 4:

an inventive arrangement of lashing units; and

Fig. 5:

a detail of a lashing rod according to the invention;

Fig. 6:

a detail of an alternative embodiment of a lashing rod according to the invention; and

Fig. 7:

the lashing rod according to Fig. 6 in two different states.

With an in Fig. 1 The container ship shown in side view is through the hold enclosed in the hull towards the top a deck hatch closed. A container stack 14 of six 40-foot standard containers 16 stacked on top of one another is shown on one of the deck hatches. Each container 16 of the container stack 14 is connected at its four corners to the container 16 below by means of twist locks. A lashing bridge 17 is arranged in front of and behind the container stack 14. From the lashing bridges 17 extend in Fig. 1 Lashing units, not shown, to the container stack 14 in order to secure the container stack 14 against tipping over.

The Fig. 2 shows the container stack 14 and a second container stack 15 arranged next to it in a view from the front. The upper edge of the lashing bridge 17 essentially ends with the upper end of the fourth container of the container stacks 14, 15. In Fig. 2 the fifth and sixth container 16 of the container stacks 14, 15 are shown, which are arranged above the upper edge of the lashing bridge 17.

A first lashing unit 18 extends from the upper left corner of the fifth container of the first container stack 14 to a first articulation fitting 19 firmly connected to the lashing bridge 17. A second lashing unit 20 extends from the upper right corner of the fifth container of the second container stack 15 to to a second articulation fitting 21 firmly connected to the lashing bridge 17.

The two container stacks 14, 15 enclose a transverse joint 22 between them, which extends in the longitudinal direction along the container stacks 14, 15. The articulation fittings 19, 21 are arranged on two different sides of a vertical plane 23 which extends along the transverse joint 22. Both the The first lashing unit 18 and the second lashing unit 20 cross the vertical plane 23 Fig. 2 The arrangement shown of two lashing units 18, 20 on directly adjacent container stacks 14, 15 is referred to as internal lashing.

In contrast, the Fig. 3 an example of an external lashing. Between the first container stack 14 and the second container stack 15, which are connected to the articulation fittings 19, 21 via the lashing units 18, 20, two further container stacks 24, 25 are enclosed between the first container stack 14 and in the second container stack 15. The vertical plane 23 extends centrally between the two container stacks 14, 15 in the transverse joint 22 between the container stacks 24, 25. The first articulation fitting 19 is arranged on one side of the vertical plane 23, and the second articulation fitting 21 is arranged on the other side of the vertical plane 23. Both lashing units 18, 20 intersect the vertical plane 23.

The Fig. 4 shows another example of an external lashing. In addition to the two lashing units 18, 20, which extend to the upper corners of the fifth container of the container stacks 14, 15, there are two further lashing units 26, 28, which extend from hinged fittings 27, 29 to the container stacks 14, 15. The lashing unit 26 is attached directly above the lashing unit 18 to a lower corner of the sixth container of the container stack 14. The lashing unit 28 is attached directly above the lashing unit 20 to a lower corner of the sixth container of the container stack 15.

The two articulation fittings 27, 29 are also arranged on two different sides of the vertical plane 23. In contrast to the lashing units 18, 20 are the lashing units 26, 28, however, posted on the articulation fittings 27, 29 that they do not overlap.

The pivot fittings 27, 29 form a second pair of pivot fittings which are arranged in the same longitudinal position. The articulation fittings 19, 21 form a first pair of articulation fittings which are arranged slightly offset from one another in the longitudinal direction, so that the lashing units 18, 20 can be guided past one another without colliding. In the transverse direction, the articulation fittings 19, 21 have a somewhat greater distance from one another than the articulation fittings 27, 29.

The lashing rods 18, 20, 26, 28 are all constructed identically to one another and have identically dimensioned components. The lashing units each have a fork part 30 which engages around the relevant articulation fitting and is secured to the articulation fitting with a socket pin 31. A threaded part 32 is rigidly connected to the fork part 30. The connection to the container corner is established via a hook fitting 33 to which a lashing rod 34 is connected (see FIG Fig. 5 ). The lashing rod 34 has a plurality of knobs 35 in the form of a thickening which fit to a knob receptacle 36 of a tensioning screw 37. By selecting a specific knob 35, the length of the lashing unit is roughly adjusted. The knob receptacle 36 is designed such that the clamping screw 37 can be rotated relative to the lashing rod 28. The other end of the clamping screw 37 is provided with an internal thread matching the threaded part 32. By turning the tensioning screw 37 onto the threaded part 32, the length of the lashing unit is fine-tuned and the lashing unit is tensioned.

An alternative embodiment of a lashing unit is shown in FIG Fig. 6 shown. The threaded part 32 is not centered on the Fork part 30 struck, but offset parallel to the socket pin 31 in the lateral direction. The position of the threaded part 32 thus depends on the orientation with which the fork part 30 is attached to the articulation fitting 19. In Fig. 7 the two possibilities for the position of the threaded part 32 are shown. This configuration opens up the possibility that the two lashing units 18, 20 can cross each other without the articulation fittings 19, 21 being offset from one another in the longitudinal direction.

In Fig. 4 the various vertical positions are shown that the upper corner fitting 40 of the fifth container and the lower corner fitting 41 of the sixth container can have depending on whether small containers (height: 8 feet, 6 inches) or large containers (height: 9 feet, 6th Inches) are stacked on top of each other. Depending on the number of small or large containers, there are six different vertical positions for the corner fittings 40, 41. The vertical distance between the lowest and the highest possible position is 1525 mm.

The adjustment range of the lashing rods 18, 20, 26, 28 is so large that each container stack can be secured regardless of the number of large or small containers, the same articulation fittings 19, 21, 27, 29 always being used.

In Fig. 4 Also shown are two lashing units 42, 43, which are used in a corresponding manner to secure the container stack 24. The risk of mutual interference exists in particular between the lashing unit 20 and the lashing unit 43 if five small containers are stacked on top of one another in both the container stack 24 and the container stack 15. The container corners 40, 41 then each have the lowest possible position, which means that the lashing units 20, 43 enclose a small angle with the horizontal and that the clamping screw 37 of the two lashing units 20, 43 can butt against one another. The tensioning screws 37 then block each other and it is no longer possible to tension the lashing units 20, 43. Due to the arrangement of the articulation fittings according to the invention, the lashing units 20, 43 have a greater distance from one another, so that a collision of the tensioning screw 37 is precisely avoided. As a result, the lashing units can have a sufficiently large adjustment range and it becomes possible to secure all stacks of containers with lashing units of uniform design.

Claims (13)

1. Container ship having a plurality of container stacks (14, 15, 24, 25) and an arrangement for securing the containers (16), wherein a first lashing unit (18) extends from a container corner (12) of a first container stack (14) to a first articulated fitting (19) of the container ship, and wherein a second lashing unit (20) extends from a container corner (13) of a second container stack (15) to a second articulated fitting (21) of the container ship, wherein the distance between the container corners (12, 13) is greater than the distance between the articulated fittings (19, 21), characterized in that the two lashing units (18, 20) cross over a vertical plane (23) extending along a transverse gap (22) between two container stacks (14, 15, 24, 25), wherein in each case the distance between the vertical plane (23) and the articulated fitting (19, 21) is smaller than the distance between the vertical plane (23) and the container corner (12, 13).
2. Container ship according to Claim 1, characterized in that a third lashing unit (26) extends from a container corner (11) of the first container stack (14) to a third articulated fitting (27), and in that a fourth lashing unit (28) extends from a container corner (11) of the second container stack (15) to a fourth articulated fitting (29).
3. Container ship according to Claim 2, characterized in that the third lashing unit (26) and the fourth lashing unit (28) do not cross over the vertical plane (23).
4. Container ship according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the first articulated fitting (19) and the second articulated fitting (21) are arranged in different longitudinal positions.
5. Container ship according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the first articulated fitting (19) and the second articulated fitting (21) are spaced apart from the vertical plane (23) by the same distance in the transverse direction.
6. Container ship according to one of Claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the third articulated fitting (27) and the fourth articulated fitting (29) are arranged in the same longitudinal position.
7. Container ship according to Claim 6, characterized in that the third articulated fitting (27) and the fourth articulated fitting (29) are arranged symmetrically in relation to the vertical plane (23).
8. Container ship according to one of Claims 2 to 7, characterized in that the distance in the transverse direction between the third articulated fitting (27) and the fourth articulated fitting (29) is smaller than the distance in the transverse direction between the first articulated fitting (19) and the second articulated fitting (21).
9. Container ship according to one of Claims 2 to 8, characterized in that, as seen in the longitudinal direction, the first articulated fitting (19) and the second articulated fitting (21) are spaced apart from the container stacks (14, 15) by a smaller distance than the third articulated fitting (27) and the fourth articulated fitting (29).
10. Container ship according to one of Claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the first container stack (14) and the second container stack (15) are arranged directly adjacent to one another.
11. Container ship according to one of Claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the first container stack (14) and the second container stack (15) have two further container stacks (24, 25) between them.
12. Container ship according to one of Claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the lashing unit (18, 20, 26, 28) has a fork part (30), which is intended for connecting to an articulated fitting (19, 21, 27, 29), and in that a connecting part (32) of the lashing unit, said connecting part being oriented in the direction of the container corner (10, 11, 12, 13), is connected eccentrically to the fork part (30).
13. Method for securing containers (16), in the case of which a first lashing unit (18) is attached to a container corner (12) of a first container stack (14) and to a first articulated fitting (19) of a container ship, and in the case of which a second lashing unit (20) is attached to a container corner (13) of a second container stack (15) and to a second articulated fitting (21) of the container ship, the distance between the container corners (12, 13) being greater than the distance between the articulated fittings (19, 21), characterized in that the two lashing units (18, 20) are attached such that they cross over a vertical plane (23) extending along a transverse gap (22) between two container stacks (14, 15, 24, 25), and in that in each case the distance between the vertical plane (23) and the articulated fitting (19, 21) is smaller than the distance between the vertical plane (23) and the container corner (12, 13) .

Images