GB2118906A - A ship adapted for alternative transportation of bulk cargo or containers - Google Patents

Abstract

In order to facilitate alternative transportation of containers and bulk, cargo in the same hold, the length of the holds is selected substantially to correspond with the length of a standard shipping container (14), while its breadth substantially corresponds with a multiple of the breadth of a container. Each hold is defined by transverse bulkheads (15) presenting plane support surfaces towards the hold for the containers, and support members (19) recessed into the transverse bulkheads, are adapted to be folded out by hydraulic actuators (29) for sidewardly steadying a group of containers. Upper support members are located so as to act between the uppermost and the next to uppermost container, and possible lower support members 19b act between the third and fourth container, as counted from the top. Transverse bulkheads between adjacent holds are formed as coffer dams. The support members (19) are mounted in pockets (25) in the plane support surfaces. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A ship adapted for alternative transportation of bulk cargo or containers Every kind of cargo imposes certain requirements upon the ship used for the transportation thereof. It will however, often be necessary to compromise in order to be able to handle different kinds of cargo.

Much cargo is now transported in shipping containers, which require a careful shoring within the ship. This means that ships mainly adapted for transporting containers in the holds will accept other kinds of cargo only with difficulty.

Containerization is now largely used instead of conventional general cargo handling, but there are typical bulk cargoes, where it is not warranted to use containers.

The object of the present invention is to propose a ship, where the holds are well suited for the alternative handling of shipping containers and of bulk cargo.

A ship according to the invention is characterized in that at least one hold has a length substantially corresponding to the length of a standard shipping container and a breadth substantially corresponding to a multiple of the breadth of the standard shipping container, the hold being defined by transverse bulkheads presenting plane support surfaces towards the hold and that support members, retractable behind said support surfaces of the transverse bulkheads, are located so as to be swung out to sidewardly support at least one group of containers.

When the hold has a depth corresponding to a number of shipping containers stacked upon each other, upper support members, at juxtaposed positions in the transverse bulkheads defining a hold, are preferably adapted to support the uppermost container and the one below the same, while possible lower support members are arranged to support between the third and the fourth container, as counted from the top.

The support members are preferably mounted in pockets in the transverse bulkheads and is each pivotable about a trunnion journalled in the walls defining the pocket, and being rotatable by means of an acutator located in a space separate from the hold.

In a ship provided with a number of holds located one after the other in the longitudinal direction of the ship, each hold in the transverse direction preferably extends substantially all the way to the side plating of the ship and transverse bulkheads between adjacent holds are formed into a cofferdam.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through a few holds in a ship; Figure 2 is a plan view of a portion of the deck of the ship; Figure 3 shows a support member in retracted position; Figure 4 shows a support member in folded-out position; Figure 5 schematically shows a perspective view of a support member; and Figure 6 shows a horizontal section at a support member, illustrating its journals and actuator.

Figures 1 and 2 shows a longitudinal section and a deck view, respectively, of a cargo carrying portion of a ship, comprising three cargo hdlds 7 0, 11 and 1 2. These holds extend transversely to the side plating 1 3 of the ship.

In order to facilitate the shoring of shipping containers lengthwise, the length of a hold 10-12 is selected equal to the length of a standard shipping container 14 (usually 12.1 9m, or 40 feet), plus a small clearance, suitable with respect to the handling. The breadth of a hold is selected as a multiple of the breadth of a standard container. In the present case the breadth corresponds with that of eleven containers.

In order that the containers obtain an adequate support in the longitudinal direction it is essential that transverse bulkheads 15, which define the holds, present plane support surfaces towards the holds. Frames, beams and other strengthening members will thus have to be located at the side of the bulkhead facing away from the hold. In the present embodiment the transverse bulkheads between holds 10 and 11, as well as between 11 and 12, are formed as cofferdams 16 17, where frames and so forth can be enclosed, and which furthermore offer an easily accessible space for the actuators operating the support member to be described below.

In the aftermost transverse bulkhead 1 spa, which possibly defines the engine room, frames 18 are arranged in a conventional manner.

The desired plane support surfaces are of course also obtainable in bulkheads, which in a well known manner are manufactured by plates formed into plane corrugations.

The transverse bulkheads extend above the deck of the ship, and form part of the coamings surrounding the hatch openings. Those will be closed by covers of arbitrary known design, not shown in the drawings.

In order to provide a satisfactory shoring in the transverse direction, which is especially important if the hold is not fully filled with containers, foldable support members 19 are provided at the transverse bulkheads. These support members are located so they will fit in sidewardly between groups of containers 14.

The support members 1 9 will be described below in connection with other figures. Each container is conventionally, in each of its corners, provided with a strong "box" 20, having openings for the fitting of latching or lifting means. When containers are stacked on top of each other, locking members 21 are advantageously, as indicated in Figure 4, fitted between vertically superposed boxes 20, whereby each stack of containers will form a stable unit.

The holds 10-12 have, in the present embodiment, a height making them adapted to receive six superposed containers. An upper pair of support members 1 9a is located so as to act in the plane of division between a topmost container and the one therebelow, while a lower pair of support members 1 9b acts between the third and fourth container, as counted from the top. The containers therebelow will be retained due to the weight of the superposed containers.

Support members located in this manner will offer a satisfactory shoring, even if the hold is not fully filled.

Cargo holds having a larger breadth than length and being defined by plane transverse bulkheads are not uncommon with bulk carriers, but on the present occasion the problem is to design and to locate support members for possible containers, so that the support members do not obstruct bulk cargo handling, and furthermore so they are not, themselves, damaged by the bulk cargo.

The shape of a support member 1 9 is best evident from Figures 3 and 4, viewed together with the schematic illustrations in Figures 5 and 6.

Each support member ? 9 comprises a leafshaped element 22, which is mounted between two plates 23, and is pivotable about a horizontal trunnion 24. The leaf-shaped element is designed so it, together with the plates, in folded-in position (Figure 3), substantially closes a pocket 25 formed in the face of the bulkhead directed towards the hold. The trunnion 24 is journalled in the side walls 26 defining the pocket, and one hold thereof 27, projects into the space outside the hold.

A lever 28 is attached to the projecting end of the trunnion, and is operated by the piston rod of a hydraulic actuator 29, which, when activated, will swing the associated leaf 22 out of, or into the pocket, respectively. The hydraulic actuators will be well protected and easily accessible within the cofferdams 16, 17. When cofferdams are not provided it is easy to provide protecting covers for the actuators. The leaf 22 is along its outwardly/downwardly turned edge provided with sidewardly extending ledges 30, which in a folded-in position of the support member (Figure 3) closes the vertical clearances in the pocket 25, above the plates 23, and will prevent bulk cargo from entering the pocket.

Due to the selected location of the support members 1 9 in cargo holds of the size above described, it will be easy to distribute containers in the different holds. If the number of containers does not provide a full utilization of the hold capacity, it is possible to provide part-spaces for bulk cargo, while maintaining a satisfactory shoring for the individual containers.

Figure 2 indicates that a breadth of hold 11 is used for containers, at least in a bottom layer. It is of course possible to utilize the full breadth of the hold up to support members 1 9b, and then have one or two stacks of containers extending upwards to the support members 1 9a.

In cargo hold 10 a stack of three containers abreast is arranged between two pairs of support members and in cargo hold 12 there is one stack of four containers abreast. The void spaces in these holds may according to occasional requirements be used for the transportation of bulk cargo, for instance grain or the like, which can be easily sucked up by elevator.

The embodiments above described and shown in the drawings is an example of the invention only, the details of which may be varied in many ways within the scope of the appended claims to suit various requirements. The length of a hold is given, but the breadth and the height thereof may vary depending upon the largest number of containers to be considered for each hold.

Claims (5)

1. A ship adapted for alternative transportation of bulk cargo or containers in the same hold, characterized in that at least one hold has a length substantially corresponding to the length of a standard shipping container and a breadth substantially corresponding to a multiple of the breadth of the standard shipping container, the hold being defined by transverse bulkheads presenting plane support surfaces towards the hold and that support members, retractable behind said support surfaces of the transverse bulkheads, are located so as to be swung out to sidewardly support at least one group of containers.

2. A ship as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hold has a depth corresponding to a number of shipping containers stacked upon each other, characterized in that upper support members, at juxtaposed positions in the transverse bulkheads defining a hold, are adapted to support the uppermost container and the one below the same, while possible lower support members are arranged to support between the third and fourth container, as counted from the top.

3. A ship as claimed in either of claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the support members are mounted in pockets in the transverse bulkheads, and is each pivotable about a trunnion journalled in the walls defining the pocket, and being rotatable by means of an actuator located in a space separate from the hold.

4. A ship as claimed in any one of the preceding claims and provided with a number of holds located one after the other in the longitudinal direction of the ship, characterized in that each hold in the transverse direction extends substantially all the way to the side plating of the ship, and the transverse bulkheads between adjacent holds are formed into a cofferdam.

5. A ship adapted for alternative transportation of bulk cargo or containers in the same hold, substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.