GB2228717A - A pontoon in the form of a floating container port - Google Patents
A pontoon in the form of a floating container port Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2228717A GB2228717A GB8902991A GB8902991A GB2228717A GB 2228717 A GB2228717 A GB 2228717A GB 8902991 A GB8902991 A GB 8902991A GB 8902991 A GB8902991 A GB 8902991A GB 2228717 A GB2228717 A GB 2228717A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- pontoon
- lower hold
- containers
- upper deck
- container
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 22
- 230000000063 preceeding effect Effects 0.000 claims 5
- 230000000630 rising effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
- B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING
- B63B27/00—Arrangement of ship-based loading or unloading equipment for cargo or passengers
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E02—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; FOUNDATIONS; SOIL SHIFTING
- E02B—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING
- E02B3/00—Engineering works in connection with control or use of streams, rivers, coasts, or other marine sites; Sealings or joints for engineering works in general
- E02B3/04—Structures or apparatus for, or methods of, protecting banks, coasts, or harbours
- E02B3/06—Moles; Piers; Quays; Quay walls; Groynes; Breakwaters ; Wave dissipating walls; Quay equipment
- E02B3/062—Constructions floating in operational condition, e.g. breakwaters or wave dissipating walls
- E02B3/064—Floating landing-stages
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
- Civil Engineering (AREA)
- Structural Engineering (AREA)
- Ship Loading And Unloading (AREA)
Abstract
A pontoon (1) in the form of a floating container port comprises an upper deck (2) for receiving containers and a lower hold (3) fer storing containers. There are means for transporting containers between the upper deck (2) and lower hold (3) and for positioning containers in predetermined storage locations within the lower hold (3). Collision tanks (10) extend along the sides of the pontoon (1) to protect the pontoon (1) against collision damage. <IMAGE>
Description
A PONTOON IN THE FORM OF A FLOATING CONTAINER PORT
The present invention relates to a pontoon in the form of a floating container port.
The increasing use of intermpdal freight systems in world cargo distribution as well as increasing transport costs, has created a demand for a container vessel of increased size. If such a vessel is to operate economically, the time spent in port loading and unloading containers should be kept to a minimum. Accordingly, there is an increased demand for a floating container port which can handle larger numbers of containers or the like, at a faster handling rate.
The disadvantages of known container ports are numerous. A factor to be improved upon in existing cargo handling techniques is the flow of containers in and out of the reach of container cranes. Traffic congestion in the crane working area is thus a major drawback. There have been attempts to overcome traffic congestion by introducing automatically operated stacking systems where the feed of containers to the loading or unloading crane is pre-programmed. However, such automatic stacking systems are limited by the dimensions of the load out pier and the stacking height. For practical purposes, the containers should not be stacked more than 3 or 4 units high.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a pontoon in the form of a floating container port comprising an upper deck for receving containers and a lower hold for storing containers, means for transporting containers between the upper deck and lower hold and positioning containers in predetermined storage locations within the lower hold and collision tanks extending along the sides of the pontoon to protect the pontoon against collision damage.
With such a port the stacking capacity is approximately doubled.
Preferably, the pontoon is provided with a plurality of ballast chambers which selectively and automatically admit water to maintain the pontoon substantially horizontal at all times.
Preferably, the pontoon has a double bottom.
Preferably, ballast chambers are provided in the double bottom.
Preferably, the lower hold is divided into a plurality of water tight chambers by water tight bulkheads.
Preferably, there is at least one hatchway connecting the upper deck and lower hold.
Preferably, there is an elevator in the hatchway.
Preferably, the upper deck and lower hold are provided with container lifting means.
Preferably, the container lifting means in the lower hold is at least one overhead gantry crane.
Preferably, the container lifting means on the upper deck comprises at least one container crane and at least one transtainer.
Preferably, the pontoon is anchored to the water bed by mooring posts extending upwards from the water bed and slidable within conformal shafts in the pontoon thereby enabling the pontoon to rise and fall with changing water levels.
Preferably, the mooring posts are covered to form a flush surface at deck level.
Preferably, the pontoon is connected to adjacent similar pontoons by bridges which allow relative movement between adjacent pontoons.
Preferably, adjacent pontoons are anchored to the water bed by mooring posts extending upwards from the water bed and slidable within the space located between adjacent pontoons.
Preferably, there is a causeway connecting the pontoon to the shore wherein the causeway and pontoon are able to move relative to each other thereby enabling the pontoon to adapt to changing water levels and various loads.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings of which:
Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a pontoon according to the present invention with a container vessel in the loading/unloading position.
Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of the lower hold in a pontoon according to the present invention.
Fig. 1 shows a pontoon 1 in the form of a floating container port. The pontoon has an upper deck 2 for containers and a lower hold 3 for containers. At least one gantry crane 6 (known as a "transtainer") is provided for moving containers 7 between the upper deck 2 and lower hold 3. The pontoon 1 has collision tanks, 10 running along each side to protect the containers 7 within the lower hold 3 should the pontoon 1 be involved in a collision with a container vessel 8 or the like.
The pontoon 1 is also provided with ballast chambers 12 (see Fig. 2) located in each corner of the pontoon. The ballast chambers 12 are watertight compartments which selectively and automatically admit water on the side of the pontoon which is not being loaded to maintain the pontoon substantially horizontal. The ballast chambers 12 are automatically emptied when ballasting is no longer required.
The pontoon 1 is provided with a double bottom 16 to improve buoyancy and strength. Ballast chambers may be located within the double bottom 16.
In Fig. 2 the lower hold 3 of the pontoon can be clearly seen. The lower hold is divided into four separa-te chambers by watertight bulkheads 9. Each chamber 17 has a hatchway 14 connecting the lower hold 3 to the upper deck 2. The hatchway 14 could house an elevator.
The upper deck 2 is provided with at least one container crane 4 for lifting containers and at least one transtainer 6 which serves the container crane or cranes and stacks the containers. Preferably, each container crane is served by a plurality of transtainers 6. The lower hold is provided with one or more overhead gantry cranes 5, preferably, one overhead gantry crane 5 is allocated to each chamber 17. In this example, there would be two container cranes 4, four transtainers 6 and four overhead gantry cranes 5.
Fig 2 shows three connected pontoons 1. Each pontoon 1 is anchored to the water bed by mooring posts 11 extending upwards from the water bed. The mooring posts 11 are either slidable within conformal shafts in the pontoon or are located between adjacent pontoons such that the pontoons can move relative to the mooring posts. In Fig. 2 the mooring posts 11 are located between adjacent pontoons 1. The pontoons 1 are connected by means of bridges 13 which allow relative movement between adjacent pontoons.
The bridges 13 must be flexible enough to accomodate the various relative movements of the pontoons they link e.g., the rising of one pontoon with respect to its neighbour or the rising of just one part of a pontoon which causes the bridges to twist. A typical bridge 13 would be of the type described in GB 2154637.
The pontoon 1 may be connected to the shore by a causeway (not shown in the drawings). The link between the pontoon 1 and the causeway should allow relative movement between the pontoon 1 and causeway so that the pontoon can adapt to varying water levels or differences in load. Again, a suitable bridge link would be of the type described in GB 2154637.
Alternatively, there may be a shuttle system operating between the container vessel and the shore which is capable of transporting the containers, in which case there would be no need for the causeway link.
As can be clearly seen in Fig. 1 a container vessel 8 is moored along side a pontoon 1 and the container crane 4 is able to load or unload the containers from the vessel to the upper deck 2. The transporting means 6 can then move the containers from the upper deck 2 to the lower hold 3. The upper deck 2 has various paths or roadways 15 to allow vehicles to move between the stacked containers 7.
The stacking of containers can be preprogrammed for optimum logistical expediency. The overhead gantry crane 5 working under the deck will operate automatically in unison with the transtainers 6 which can position themselves to synchronise with the container crane 4. The container crane 4 is able to guide itself automatically to the platform where a container is to be stacked and then presents the container to a suitable transtainer 6. Any of these movements can be reversed to enable the floating container port to be loaded or unloaded. A single computer capable of controlling all of the cranes on the container vessel is preferred and it should be possible for the operator to instruct the computer to select a specific container located in a specific storage area.
Claims (16)
1. A pontoon in the form of a floating container
port comprising an upper deck for receiving
containers and a lower hold for storing
containers, means for transporting containers
between the upper deck and lower hold and
positioning containers in predetermined storage
locations within the lower hold and collision
tanks extending along the sides of the pontoon
to protect the pontoon against collision damage.
2. A pontoon as claimed in claim 1 wherein the
pontoon is provided with a plurality of ballast
chambers which selectively and automatically
admit water to maintain the pontoon
substantially horizontal at all times.
3. A pontoon as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2
wherein the pontoon has a double bottom.
4. A pontoon as claimed in claim 3 wherein ballast
chambers are provided in the double bottom.
5. A pontoon as claimed in any preceeding claim
wherein the lower hold is divided into a
plurality of water tight chambers by water tight
bulkheads.
6. A pontoon as claimed in any preceeding claim
wherein there is at least one hatchway
connecting the upper deck and lower hold.
7. A pontoon as claimed in claim 6 wherein there is
an elevator located in the hatchway.
8. A pontoon as claimed in any preceeding claim
wherein the upper deck and lower hold are
provided with container lifting means.
9. A pontoon as claimed in claim 8 wherein the
container lifting means in the lower hold
comprises at least one overhead gantry crane.
10. A pontoon as claimed in claim 8 or claim 9
wherein the container lifting means on the upper
deck comprises at least one container crane and
at least one transtainer.
11. A pontoon as claimed in any preceeding claim
which is anchored to the water bed by mooring
posts extending upwards from the water bed and
slidable within conformal shafts in the pontoon
thereby enabling the pontoon to rise and fall
with changing water levels.
12. A pontoon as claimed in claim 11 wherein t?ie mooring posts are covered to form a flush
surface at deck level.
13. A pontoon as claimed in any of claims 1 to 12
which is connected to adjacent similar pontoons
by bridges which allow relative movement between
adjacent pontoons.
14. A pontoon as claimed in claim 13 which is
anchored to the water bed by mooring posts
extending upwards from the water bed and
slidable within the space located between
adjacent pontoons.
15. A pontoon as claimed in any preceeding claim
further comprising a causeway connecting the
pontoon to the shore wherein the causeway and
pontoon are able to move relative to each other
thereby enabling the pontoon to adapt to
changing water levels and various loads.
16. A pontoon in the form of a floating cargo port
substantially as herein described and as
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB8902991A GB2228717A (en) | 1989-02-10 | 1989-02-10 | A pontoon in the form of a floating container port |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB8902991A GB2228717A (en) | 1989-02-10 | 1989-02-10 | A pontoon in the form of a floating container port |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
GB8902991D0 GB8902991D0 (en) | 1989-03-30 |
GB2228717A true GB2228717A (en) | 1990-09-05 |
Family
ID=10651447
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
GB8902991A Withdrawn GB2228717A (en) | 1989-02-10 | 1989-02-10 | A pontoon in the form of a floating container port |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
GB (1) | GB2228717A (en) |
Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE4310086A1 (en) * | 1993-03-27 | 1994-07-28 | Atlas Elektronik Gmbh | Floating dock for cargo transfer |
WO2005007974A1 (en) * | 2003-07-11 | 2005-01-27 | William Henry Twine | Floating storage device |
CN102730154A (en) * | 2012-06-07 | 2012-10-17 | 杨春 | Superstructure collision prevention device of container ship |
ITTO20120216A1 (en) * | 2012-03-12 | 2013-09-13 | Giorgio Salis | VARIABLE DISPLACEMENT MODULE FOR PONTOONS, MOLETS AND FLOATING DAMS |
-
1989
- 1989-02-10 GB GB8902991A patent/GB2228717A/en not_active Withdrawn
Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE4310086A1 (en) * | 1993-03-27 | 1994-07-28 | Atlas Elektronik Gmbh | Floating dock for cargo transfer |
WO2005007974A1 (en) * | 2003-07-11 | 2005-01-27 | William Henry Twine | Floating storage device |
ITTO20120216A1 (en) * | 2012-03-12 | 2013-09-13 | Giorgio Salis | VARIABLE DISPLACEMENT MODULE FOR PONTOONS, MOLETS AND FLOATING DAMS |
CN102730154A (en) * | 2012-06-07 | 2012-10-17 | 杨春 | Superstructure collision prevention device of container ship |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
GB8902991D0 (en) | 1989-03-30 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |