JP2018535894A - Ultra shallow draft bulk carrier - Google Patents

Abstract

The ultra shallow draft bulk carrier (SSD-BC) (10) provides the hull (12) and additional buoyancy, thereby reducing the loading capacity tonnage draft of the SSD-BC (10). And a sponson (16) attached to the opposite side of (12). A bulk material (5) handling system (30a) is also provided that allows for the transportation of goods to and from the SSD-BC (10). The bulk material handling system (30a) is arranged to convey material released from the lower part of the cargo hold (14). The bulk material handling system (34) is disposed in one of the sponsons (16) that carries the material released from the cargo hold (14) of the SSD-BC (10) to the open deck (31). Including conveyors.

Description

  This specification discloses an ultra shallow draft bulk carrier ("SSD-BC").

  Bulk goods such as mined ore, building materials and agricultural products are often transported by ships such as bulk carriers. The limiting factors for the transport of such goods using bulk carriers are not limited, but at the loading capacity tonnage (DWT) of bulk carriers, drafts at DWT, loading and unloading ports Including remote areas. It is important that the draft at the DWT does not exceed the maximum allowable draft by the relevant port management committee at the loading and unloading ports. When the drafts available at the loading and unloading ports are different, various solutions are possible to enable direct port-to-port transport. First, in order to ensure that the carrier draft can be adapted to the shallowest port, the load of the bulk carrier can be limited to below the DWT. In this case, since the tonnage of the goods to be transported is smaller than the ship's DWT, the profits available to the exporter of bulk goods are limited. A second solution is to schedule ship berthing and / or departure to take advantage of tidal conditions. However, this will limit the throughput of the port and the ship will need to wait for their turn to throw and load or unload. Again, this incurs additional costs and thus reduces the profits of the exporter of bulk goods.

  The above problem also exists if both destination ports have the same depth, but the ship needs to cross a shallower channel between the two ports.

  In order to provide a background to the above problem, we will describe one Western Australian Port Hedland used for the transport of iron ore from Australia to foreign countries. More iron ore is exported from Port Hedland every year from any port in the world.

  The Port Headland Port Management Board's Ship Movement Guidelines are specified for ships up to 330m long (LOA) with a width of 60m. Ships exceeding 330 mLOA may be granted permission to navigate the waterways at the portmaster's discretion and may be restricted to daytime anchorage and departure at certain tide and weather conditions.

  Some of Port Headland's dredgings allow bulk carriers to be loaded up to a DWT that produces a maximum draft of 19m. However, the main seaway between the remote area and the high seas only allows a maximum draft of 14m. Economically, it is preferred to load bulk carriers up to the DWT that provides the maximum allowable draft. In the Port Hedland case, departures are timed according to high tides to allow a 19m draft ship to leave the remote area and cross the main seaway. This allows for the maximum possible DWT, which results in delays in entering and leaving the ship. This, in turn, substantially increases shipping costs and thus has a substantial impact on profits.

  The ability to overcome this problem by building a bulk carrier with increased ship width while maintaining draft is limited at least by the ship width of the main seaway. The Port Hedland Port Authority has the discretion to allow ships larger than 60m wide to cross the main seaway. However, this is generally conditioned on daytime and tide conditions. Thus, a ship with a width of substantially 60m, for example 80m or more, may be delayed for a long period of time entering or leaving the remote area, or actually prevented from navigating the main waterway at once. There is a risk.

  There has been a long-standing need to increase the DWT of bulk carriers without changing the draft or width of the bulk carrier to the extent that it deviates from the ship movement guidelines set forth by the Port Headland Port Authority. Despite substantial commercial benefits of increasing the tonnage of bulk goods through Port Hedland, and substantial financial and intellectual resources of bulk goods exporters, The problem remained unresolved.

  The above references to the background art do not limit the application of the SSD-BC disclosed herein. In particular, the disclosed SSD-BC embodiments can be used at other ports to facilitate the transport of bulk goods.

In one aspect, an ultra shallow draft bulk carrier (SSD-BC),
A hull with a cargo hold to accept bulk goods,
At least one buoyancy device attached to each side of the hull, and each buoyancy device configured to reduce a loaded load ton (DWT) draft of the SSD-BC,
An ultra shallow draft bulk carrier (SSD-BC) is disclosed.

  Thus, by way of example, without a buoyancy device, for example, a loaded cape-size ship that normally has a draft of 19m may have a draft reduced to about 13.3m.

  In one embodiment, the buoyancy device comprises a steel structure attached to the hull. In one embodiment, the buoyancy device extends between each normal of the hull.

  In one embodiment, the buoyancy device comprises a substantially continuous outer surface extending along each side of the hull.

  In one embodiment, the end of the buoyancy device closest to the bow is tapered to reduce the lateral width towards the hull in the direction from the stern to the bow.

  In one embodiment, the end of the buoyancy device closest to the stern is tapered to reduce the lateral width towards the hull in the direction from the bow to the stern.

  In one embodiment, the buoyancy device is manufactured from steel.

  In one embodiment, the buoyancy device is permanently fixed to the hull.

  In one embodiment, the SSD-BC comprises a bulk product handling system on at least one of the port side and starboard side of the SSD-BC, the bulk product handling system having an outboard location and one or more It arrange | positions so that a bulk goods may be conveyed between shipboard positions.

  In one embodiment, the ultra shallow draft bulk carrier includes a bulk goods handling system that allows unloading of bulk goods from the bottom of the cargo hold.

  In one embodiment, the ultra shallow draft bulk carrier includes a bulk goods handling system that allows for the loading of bulk goods through at least one of the buoyancy devices.

  In one embodiment, the ultra shallow draft bulk carrier includes a bulk product handling system that allows unloading of bulk product through at least one of the buoyancy devices from the bottom of the cargo hold.

In a second aspect, a method for constructing a super shallow draft bulk carrier is provided, the method comprising:
Attaching at least one buoyancy device along each side of the hull of the ship.

  In one embodiment, the method determines a desired reduction in draft in the DWT and designs at least two buoyancy devices that provide the desired reduction in draft in the DWT when attached to an SSD-BC. Is provided.

In a third aspect, an ultra shallow draft bulk carrier (SSD-BC),
A hull with a cargo hold to accept bulk goods,
At least one buoyancy device attached to each side of the hull, and each buoyancy device configured to reduce SSD-BC load capacity tonnage (DWT) draft, from the bottom of the cargo hold An ultra shallow draft bulk carrier (SSD-BC) is provided that includes a bulk goods handling system that enables transport of bulk goods through at least one of the above.

  In one embodiment, each buoyancy device is configured to reduce SSD-BC's tonnes (DWT) draft.

In the fourth aspect, an ultra shallow draft bulk carrier (SSD-BC),
A hull with a cargo hold to accept bulk goods,
Provided is an ultra shallow draft bulk carrier (SSD-BC) equipped with a bulk goods handling system that enables the transportation of bulk goods from the lower part of a cargo hold.

  In one embodiment, the bulk goods handling system comprises a first conveyor arranged to convey material supplied from the bottom of the cargo hold through one of the buoyancy devices.

  In one embodiment, a bulk merchandise handling system comprises a ship loader / unloader that is supported on an SSD-BC open deck and arranged to traverse along the open deck.

  In one embodiment, the ship loader / unloader can rotate or swivel 360 degrees.

  In one embodiment, the bulk merchandise handling system further includes a deck conveyor arranged to transport material along the open deck to the ship loader / unloader.

  In one embodiment, the bulk goods handling system further includes a link conveyor arranged to convey material from the first conveyor to the deck conveyor.

  In one embodiment, the bulk goods handling system further comprises one or more cranes supported on an open-air deck.

  In one embodiment, a buoyancy device arranged to receive and release ballast material.

  Despite any other configurations that may fall within the scope of the ultra shallow draft bulk carrier described in the summary and the method of constructing it, reference is now made, by way of example only, to the following attached drawings. However, a specific embodiment will be described.

1 is a side view of one embodiment of a disclosed super shallow draft bulk carrier (SSD-BC). FIG. The top view of SSD-BC shown in FIG. Sectional drawing of SSD-BC shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. The upper elevation view of the 2nd embodiment of the super shallow draft bulk carrier (SSD-BC) to disclose. The upper elevation view of the tank upper part of SSD-BC shown in FIG. 4a. 4B is a side view of the SSD-BC shown in FIG. FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the SSD-BC shown in FIG. 4A. 4B is an enlarged view of a portion of the SSD-BC shown in FIG. 4A showing a portion of the material unloading subsystem. An upper elevation view of a third embodiment of the disclosed SSD-BC. FIG. 5B is a side view of the SSD-BC shown in FIG. 5A. The figure which shows embodiment of disclosed SSD-BC directly loaded by the conveyor. The figure which shows embodiment of disclosed SSD-BC during the transshipment of the bulk goods to a cape size ship.

  1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the disclosed SSD-BC 10. The SSD-BC 10 includes a hull 12 configured to receive bulk goods such as, but not limited to, iron ore, coal, other mining minerals, agricultural products, building materials, and the like. In this embodiment, the hull 12 includes nine separate cargo holds 14a-14i (hereinafter generally referred to as "cargo holds 14"). Although nine separate cargo holds 14 have been disclosed, it should be understood that an embodiment of SSD-BC 10 may comprise any number of cargo holds including only one. The SSD-BC 10 also includes buoyancy devices 16 a and 16 b (hereinafter generally referred to as “buoyancy device 16”), one of which is attached to the opposite side of the hull 12. In particular, the buoyancy device 16a is attached by welding along the port side of the hull 12, for example, while the buoyancy device 16b is attached along the starboard side of the hull 12. In this particular embodiment, each buoyancy device 16 is in the form of a sponson. The buoyancy device 16 is configured to reduce the loading load tonnage (DWT) draft of the SSD-BC10.

  As a non-limiting example, the SSD-BC 10 in this embodiment may comprise a cape size ship with an improved device 16. A cape-size ship with an integral part of the hull 12 may have, for example, a total length (LOA) of about 292 m, a ship width of about 45 m and a draft of 19 m in a 185,000 T DWT. The device 16 is configured so that the draft in the 185,000 T DWT can be arranged to be about 14 m or less, such as 14 m to 12 m, for the SSD-BC10. In fact, the buoyancy device / Sponson 16 can be designed to provide SSD-BC with a draft that fits in the shallower parts of the loading and unloading ports.

  Therefore, the problems that have existed for over 30 years in dealing with iron ore exports from Port Hedland can be solved by embodiments of the present SSD-BC10. Utilization of embodiments of the SSD-BC 10 allows for substantially 24 hours loading and unloading of bulk carriers in their DWT. This eliminates the need to queue up and wait for suitable tidal conditions or alternatively to load a bulk carrier less than its DWT.

  Turning to SSD-BC 10 in more detail, it should be noted that in this particular embodiment, a single continuous buoyancy device 16 (ie, Sponson) is provided on the port side and starboard side, respectively. Each device 16 extends from a front end 18 near the bow 20 to an opposite rear end 22 near the stern 24. In this embodiment, each device 16 is tapered near the ends 18 and 22. The direction of the taper is such that the width of the device 16 decreases towards the hull 12.

  It will be noted from FIG. 3 that the provision of the device 16 extends the width of the SSD-BC 10 beyond the width of the same SSD-BC 10 without the device 16. In the absence of the buoyancy device 16, the SSD-BC 10 has a ship width of B1. Devices 16a and 16b have respective lateral or ship widths of Ba and Bb, respectively. Usually, the width of each device 16 is the same, and therefore Ba = Bb. In either case, the overall ship width B of the SSD-BC10 is B = B1 + Ba + Bb. The increase rate of the width of the SSD-BC compared to the same SSD-BC without the device 16 is (Ba + Bb) ÷ B1 × 100%.

  In one example, B1 can be on the order of 40 m, and Ba and Bb can each be on the order of 10 m. Therefore, the rate of increase of the ship width resulting from the addition of the device 16 is (10 + 10) ÷ 40 × 100% = 50%.

  Thus, in this example, the SSD-BC10 with device 16 has a draft of 14m at a DWT of 185,000T and a ship width of 60m. Thus, such an embodiment of SSD-BC 10 would be within the normal operating parameters of the Port Hedland Port Management Board for berthing through the main seaway and subsequent departure without the need for special permits.

  In order to support loading and unloading of bulk goods, the SSD-BC 10 includes a bulk goods conveyance system 30. In this embodiment, the conveyance system 30 is provided on both the port side and the starboard side. However, in other embodiments, the system 30 can be provided on only one side. The transport system 30 is arranged to transport bulk goods between an outboard location (eg, a stockpile or bulk container located at the port) and one or more onboard locations, in this example, the cargo hold 14. Is done. System 30 includes a mobile hopper 32 and an associated rail 34. The rail 34 is provided on each of the port side and the starboard side. A bulk loader (not shown) at the port is capable of transporting bulk goods to the hopper 32 on the closest side of the SSD-BC 10. The hopper 32 can then traverse its rail 34 to load a particular cargo hold 14. Depending on whether the port side of the SSD-BC 10 is adjacent or the starboard side is adjacent, the anchorage will determine which of the hoppers 32 will be used during loading or unloading operations. If the transport system 30 comprises only one hopper 32 and associated rail 34, the corresponding side of the SSD-BC 10 will need to be adjacent to the anchorage for loading and unloading operations.

  One method of manufacturing the SSD-BC 10 comprises attaching a buoyancy device / sponson 16 along each side of an existing bulk carrier such as a cape size ship. One aspect of the method is to design each device 16 to provide the necessary reduction in draft at the DWT. This can be determined relatively easily by the use of Archimedes' principle. Once designed, the device 16 is constructed from steel or other metal and can be permanently secured, for example, by welding them to the existing hull of an improved bulk carrier. The bulk goods conveyance system 30 is also attached to the open deck 31 of the SSD-BC 10.

  The buoyancy device / sponson 16 is made partially or completely away, and then any one or more of welding to the sides of the hull 12, bolting, and riveting, or more than two of them. Can be attached by any combination of When prefabricated away from the site, the buoyancy device / sponson 16 can be fabricated in sections or portions and then attached to the side of the hull 12. The sections or portions can be fluidically separated from each other. Alternatively, the device / sponson 16 can be made in-situ directly on the side of the hull 12. Regardless of those methods of construction, the buoyancy device / sponson 16 can also be arranged to carry and release ballast material such as but not limited to water. In this way, the ballast of the buoyancy device / Sponson 16 can be changed to provide an optimal draft depending on the DWT of the SSD-BC10.

  In this particular embodiment of the SSD-BC 10, the sponson 16 is configured to have a foundation 36 that is flush with the lower portion 40 of the hull 12, the vertical sidewall 38, and the inclined upper wall 40. The wall 40 is below the open deck 31 of the hull 12. However, other configurations of sponsons 16 are possible, including but not limited to configurations where the various walls are at different heights or slopes. For example, the foundation 36 may be tilted as indicated by the imaginary line 36 'of FIG.

  Building SSD-BC 10 in the manner described above by using an existing bulk carrier has additional benefits in providing or creating a new market for such an existing bulk carrier. For this purpose, there is currently a substantial underutilization of such bulk carriers. In fact, many are sold for scrap goods.

  4a-4e show a second embodiment of the disclosed SSD-BC, shown as SSD-BC 10a. All features of SSD-BC 10a that have the same or similar structure or function as in SSD-BC, or that have the same or similar structure or function, are designated with the same reference number but with the suffix "a" added. The As will be apparent from the following description, the second embodiment of the SSD-BC 10a is more functionally enhanced than the first embodiment, and not only the SSD-BC operator but also the production of bulk products. And the port infrastructure provider also have the feature of providing substantial commercial and economic value.

  The SSD-BC 10a is similar to the SSD-BC 10, but depends on the replacement of the bulk product handling system 30 with an improved bulk product handling system 30a that allows unloading of bulk products from the bottom of the cargo hold. . In fact, the bulk goods handling system 30a provides automatic loading / unloading capability to the SSD-BC.

  The SSD-BC 10 a includes a hull 12, buoyancy devices / sponsons 16 a and 16 b on the port side and starboard side of the hull 12, and a plurality of cargo holds 14, as in the case of the first embodiment of the SSD-BC 10. However, the SSD-BC 10a includes a bulk goods handling system 30a that greatly expands the application examples of the SSD-BC 10a in order to provide significant versatility and open up a market that did not exist before.

  The bulk goods handling system 30a includes a number of interrelated and cooperating cargo handling subsystems. These subsystems include an unloading subsystem 56, a first conveyor 58 that conveys material supplied from the hold 14 to the deck 31, and a ship loader (hereinafter referred to as “ship loader 60” for convenience). / Unloader 60.

  The unloading subsystem 56 includes one or more, but in this embodiment three endless conveyors 62a, 62b and 62c that pass under the cargo hold 14 (hereinafter generally referred to as "conveyor 62") and the conveyor 62. A transverse conveyor 64 at one end, hoppers 66a, 66b and 66c (hereinafter generally referred to as “hopper 66”), a further hopper 68, and discharge chutes 70a, 70b (hereinafter generally referred to as “chute 70”). And 70c.

  The unloading system 56 operates to unload bulk materials from the lower part of the hold 14 and transport them to the conveyor 58. The discharge chutes 70a, 70b and 70c are formed in the lower wall of each of the holds 14. Endless conveyors 62a, 62b and 62c are arranged on the hull 12 under their respective discharge chutes 70a, 70b and 70c. The conveyor 62 passes so that the material discharged from the chute 70 is conveyed in a direction toward the hopper 66. The material conveyed by the conveyor 62 is supplied to each hopper 66 through which the conveyor 64 passes. Thus, the conveyors 62 convey the material discharged from the hold 14 to the respective hoppers 66, which are then fed onto the conveyors 64 by the hoppers 66, which in turn convey the materials to the hoppers 68. .

  The hopper 68 supplies material onto the conveyor 58. The conveyor 58 is located in the sponson 16a and passes along the inclined path to the open-air deck 31. Positioning the conveyor 58 in the sponson 16a normally uses a void and therefore does not occupy a valuable cargo loading area. It will also be noted that in this embodiment, the sponsons 16 have a slightly different configuration than the sponsons in the first embodiment. Specifically, the sponson 16 in the present embodiment is in a horizontal plane and has an upper surface 40 that is the same height or the same surface as the open-air deck 31.

  The conveyor 58 passes toward the hopper 72 on the open-air deck 31 located adjacent to the cargo hold 14i near the bow. The link conveyor 74 is provided to receive the material discharged from the hopper 72 and supply it to another hopper 76. The deck conveyor 78 is adjacent to the cargo hold 14a from under the hopper 76 and passes along the open deck 31 at a position near the stern.

  The ship loader 60 may (a) unload the material by receiving the material supplied by the plate conveyor 78 and discharging it away from the SSD-BC 10a, or (b) select Associated with the deck conveyor 78 so that any of the materials supplied by the conveyor 78 can be loaded onto the completed hold 14. For this purpose, the ship loader 60 is mounted on a rail on the open deck 31 so that it can traverse along the length of the open deck 31 between the hold 14a and the hold 14i. It becomes possible.

  The ship loader 60 either extends beyond the side of the SSD-BC 10a as shown in FIG. 4a to unload the material, or extends inward to load the material into the hold 14. It has an extendable arm or boom 80 that can be operated to do the following. The ship loader 60 also includes a tripper to transport material between the conveyor 78 and the boom 80. Additionally or alternatively, the vessel loader 60 may be provided with a boom 80 that can rotate or pivot 360 degrees. When the boom 80 can rotate 360 degrees, the end of the boom is on the side of the ship to unload material, or on the opening of the hold 14 to load material on the ship. Can be placed.

  In one possible loading process, material is conveyed by a third party loader to either hopper 72 or hopper 76, after which its boom 80 conveys material to one of the holds 14. It can be conveyed by the conveyor 78 to the ship loader 60 in the state arrange | positioned in this way. When a third party loader initially loads hopper 72, conveyor 74 also operates to convey material from hopper 72 to hopper 76, which in turn supplies material to conveyor 78. .

  In one possible unloading process, the chute 70 is opened to allow material to fall from within the hold 14 onto the conveyor 62 of the unloading subsystem 56. The material is conveyed to the chute 66 by the conveyor 62, supplied onto the conveyor 64, conveyed to the chute 68, supplied to the deck conveyor 58 on the hold, conveyed to the chute 72, dumped, conveyed by the conveyor 74, It is discarded on the chute 76 and supplied onto the conveyor 78. Next, the ship loader 60 is arranged so that the boom 80 extends beyond the side of the SSD-BC 10a and operates to unload material on the pier or on land immediately adjacent to the anchored SSD-BC 10a. Is done.

  Those skilled in the art have confirmed that a berthing pier or jetty should normally be equipped with a loader similar to the loader 60 to carry bulk material to and from the bulk material carrier. Will do or understand. Thus, the loader at the wharf or jetty is used to transport bulk material to and from the visiting bulk material carrier. There is no need for the pier or jetty to have such a loader in order to allow the material to be unloaded from the SSD-BC 10a.

  One way to build a buoyancy device / sponsons 16a that includes a conveyor 58 is to first build and secure the conveyor 58 directly on the side of the hull 12 and then on the same side of the hull 12 above the conveyor 58. Fixing the sponsons 16a. The sponson 16a can be prefabricated off-site as either a single structure or a plurality of superstructures and then secured to the hull 12. Alternatively, the sponsons 16a can be made directly on the hull 12.

  Figures 5a and 5b illustrate yet further embodiments of the disclosed SSD-BC 10b, where the same reference numbers as in the previous embodiments are used to indicate the same features. The SSD-BC 10b is essentially the same as the SSD-BC 10a, but a plurality of mobile cranes 82 are added. The crane 82 is mounted on a rail that extends along the open deck 31 on the side of the hull 12 opposite the ship loader 60. Rails for the crane 82 pass from the hold 14a near the stern toward the hold 14i near the bow. Each crane 82 includes a grab / bucket 84. Crane 82 allows loading of SSD-BC 10b from a barge or other adjacently located reserve.

  The material handling system 30a of the embodiment of SSD-BC 10a and 10b allows material to be loaded or unloaded at a maximum rate of 10,000 tons per hour. Thus, an SSD-BC with a capacity of 185,000 tons can be loaded or unloaded in 18.5 hours compared to 15 days for conventional methods. This provides great time savings, and thus great cost savings for berthing and docking costs.

  The embodiments of SSD-BC 10a and 10b include a material handling system 30a that includes a ship loader 60 and are therefore limited to transporting bulk material between wharves, jettys, or harbors with loading and unloading bases. Not. When combined with the shallow draft of a fully loaded SSD-BC 10a, 10b, this provides a unique capability, a non-limiting example of which is described below.

• Cape size bulk carriers with 185,000 DWT require a draft of about 19m, including a gap under the keel. However, most of the world's export ports have drafts of 14 meters or less. The SSD-BC embodiment opens the world's drafting ports 24 hours a day, 24 hours a day, to any size ship, including the 400,000 DWT Valemax. (Of course, this is also the case with the first described embodiment of SSD-BC10.)
• The dredging of current port functions that would otherwise be required to enable 185,000 DWT ships to berth is avoided. This not only provides substantial cost savings, but also avoids adverse environmental and legislative problems. Of course, this benefit also occurs in the first described embodiment of SSD-BC10.

  -The provision of the bulk goods handling system 30a avoids the costs associated with providing a material transport platform at the loading and destination port. Further, the bulk product handling system 30a allows the SSD-BC embodiment to load cargo directly from the shore conveyor. This can make a mine viable, for example, not economically viable due to logistics costs, since the mining material can be transported directly on the SSD-BC via a long conveyor. There is no need to build roads or rails, cranes and other bulk material handling equipment, and no stockpile. An example of this is shown in FIG. This figure shows the SSD-BC 10 a anchored adjacent to the dolphin 86 constructed near the shoreline 88. Conveyor 90 loads directly into hopper 76 with mining material from a mine that may be up to several tens of kilometers away. The mining material can then be loaded into the hold 14 using the bulk material handling system 30a. In this situation, it should be understood that it is not necessary to build a normal port material handling system and infrastructure to support the loading of mining material from the mine to the SSD-BC 10a. Of course, the material transfer operation shown in FIG. 6 can also be executed by the SSD-BC 10b.

  The bulk merchandise processing system 30a allows loading and delivery of cargo from the shore conveyor to all of the hold 14 and also allows unloading cargo to any ocean vessel or at a loading port. FIG. 7 shows an example of the use of the SSD-BC 10b in a transshipment operation on an open water surface that conveys material onto a cape-size ocean-going vessel 92. This operation can be employed, for example, when the loading port has a draft that is too shallow to accept the cape size ship 92, but the unloading port has sufficient draft, where the SSD-BC 10b It is used to load material from the port and then transship the material to the cape size ship 92. Of course, the material transfer operation shown in FIG. 7 can also be executed by the SSD-BC 10a. The SSD-BC 10b also enables transshipment from a barge using the crane 82. One application may be, for example, when a mine produces bulk mining material that is loaded onto a river barge with a maximum capacity of, for example, about 2000 tons. The barge can sail to the anchored SSD-BC 10 b and transport the cargo to the cargo hold 14 using the crane 82. The SSD-BC 10b can be navigated to the destination or unloading port after it has been fully loaded by conveying bulk material from multiple barges.

  As mentioned above, the ultra-shallow drafts of SSD-BC 10, 10a and 10b allow for 24/7 loading and unloading without having to hide for favorable tidal conditions.

  From the above description, it can be appreciated that the bulk goods handling system 30a can actually be used on other cargo / bulk goods loading vessels without incorporating the buoyancy device / sponson 16. For example, the commodity transport system 30a is provided on such a ship, even though a normal cape size ship with a draft of 19m is limited to berthing / pier jetty that can accommodate this draft. Can be. Thus, such a ship will not have the same berthing option due to the need for a 19m draft, but the ship will nevertheless have the same benefit in terms of material handling capacity. When changing a cape size ship to include a bulk goods handling system 30a (but not sponsons 16), the conveyor 58 can be fixed outside the hull or alternatively can be provided inside the hull. . The conveyor 58 may further be provided with a curved portion to supply material to the hopper 76 equivalent. Alternatively, an additional link conveyor similar to the conveyor 74 may be provided to receive the material discharged from the end of the conveyor 58 and transport it to the hopper 76. When the conveyor 58 is fixed to the outside of the hull, the conveyor 58 is surrounded by a steel lid fixed to the hull. Of course, the disclosed cape size ship with bulk material handling system 30a will require changes to the cargo hold to allow the material to be discharged onto the underlying conveyor 62.

  Although specific embodiments and construction methods of ultra shallow draft bulk carriers have been described, it should be appreciated that bulk carriers and construction methods can be implemented in many other ways. For example, embodiments of SSD-BC 10a and 10b have been shown with an unloading subsystem 56 having three separate conveyors 66a, 66b and 66c, but it can be any number including one, two, four or more. Can have a conveyor. The hold 14 is configured to have the same number of chutes 70 as the number of conveyors 66. Further embodiments of the SSD-BC may comprise a mechanical system to assist in moving material through the chute 70 onto the underlying conveyor 62. For example, the mechanical system can include, for example, a boatbill or a vibrator.

  In the claims that follow and in the preceding description, the word “comprise” and “comprises” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise by explicit language or necessary implications. Variations such as "or" comprising "are meant in a comprehensive sense, i.e., the presence of the described feature, but the various embodiments of SSD-BC disclosed herein and Used to not exclude the presence or addition of additional features in the method of construction.

Claims (13)

A super shallow draft bulk carrier (SSD-BC),
A hull with a cargo hold to accept bulk goods,
At least one buoyancy device attached to each side of the hull, and each buoyancy device is configured to reduce a loading load tonnage (DWT) draft of the SSD-BC, and at least one of the buoyancy devices Bulk goods handling system that enables unloading of bulk goods through one,
An ultra shallow draft bulk carrier.   The ultra shallow draft bulk carrier of claim 1, wherein the buoyancy device comprises a substantially continuous outer surface extending along each side of the hull. The end of the buoyancy device closest to the bow is tapered to reduce the lateral width towards the hull in the direction from the stern towards the bow;
The ultra shallow draft bulk carrier according to claim 1 or 2.   4. The buoyancy device end closest to the stern is tapered to reduce a lateral width toward the hull in a direction from the bow toward the stern. Ultra shallow draft bulk carrier.   5. The supermarket according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the bulk goods handling system is further arranged to transport bulk goods between an outboard position and one or more inboard positions. A shallow draft bulk carrier.   6. The bulk goods handling system allows for the loading of bulk goods from the lower part of the cargo hold and then through the at least one of the buoyancy devices. The super shallow draft bulk carrier described.   The supermarket according to claim 6, wherein the bulk goods handling system comprises a first conveyor arranged to transport material supplied from the lower part of the cargo hold through one of the buoyancy devices. Shallow draft bulk carrier (SSD-BC).   8. The bulk goods handling system comprises a ship loader / unloader supported on an open deck of the SSD-BC and arranged to traverse along the open deck. An ultra shallow draft bulk carrier (SSD-BC) according to claim 1.   The ultra shallow draft bulk carrier (SSD-BC) according to claim 8, wherein the ship loader / unloader is capable of rotating or turning 360 degrees.   The ultra shallow draft rose according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the bulk merchandise handling system further comprises a deck conveyor arranged to convey material along the open deck to the ship loader / unloader. Cargo ship (SSD-BC).   The ultra shallow draft bulk carrier (SSD-BC) according to claim 10, wherein the bulk goods handling system further comprises a link conveyor arranged to convey material from a first conveyor to the deck conveyor. .   The ultra shallow draft bulk carrier (SSD-BC) according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the bulk goods handling system further comprises one or more cranes supported on the open deck. ). A method of constructing a super shallow draft bulk carrier (SSD-BC),
Attaching at least one buoyancy device along each side of the hull of the ship;
Providing the at least one of the buoyancy devices with a bulk product handling system that enables unloading of the bulk product from the SSD-BC through the at least one of the buoyancy devices;
A method comprising:

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