WO2008101512A1

WO2008101512A1 - Offshore container transfer station as part of a logistics system

Info

Publication number: WO2008101512A1
Application number: PCT/EP2007/001474
Authority: WO
Inventors: Moustafa Abdel-Maksoud; Wolfgang Wichner
Original assignee: Universität Duisburg-Essen
Priority date: 2007-02-21
Filing date: 2007-02-21
Publication date: 2008-08-28

Abstract

Offshore container transfer station formed as a floating pontoon (4), wherein the floating pontoon (4) has at least one barge canal, which is arranged under at least one container crane (1) and is used to transfer containers from a container ship (5) onto barges or river boats (8), or vice versa, characterized in that the floating pontoon has at the sides crane rails for the container crane to run along parallel to the container ship, wherein the container crane is formed as a quayside container crane on crane legs (22) and wherein preferably at least one mobile stacker crane (2) is arranged under said container crane, and wherein said container crane is formed as an electric trolley crane with at least one crane trolley (9) on a trolley way (20) and is designed in such a way that it can operate with double or quadruple spreaders (10) for picking up two or four containers at the same time, and wherein an automation system, preferably a sensor-assisted automation system, provides positional stabilization of the floating pontoon during crane operation in a manner appropriate for the operation of the crane.

Description

"Offshore container transfer station as part of a logistics system"

The invention relates to an offshore container transfer station, which is designed as a floating pontoon, wherein the floating pontoon has at least one barge channel, which is arranged under at least one container crane and serves to reload containers from a container ship to barges or inland vessels or vice versa.

Floating container transfer stations are known, e.g. from the article in the magazine "WORLD CARGO NEWS" - CRANE GOES SWIMMING WITH THE TIDE - by JULY 2005.

The base of the container crane shown and described in this article, which is arranged in front of a pier and is intended to support the container cranes arranged on the pier when unloading a large container ship, is designed as a semi-submersible. However, semi-divers have only a relatively low stability with changing loads, therefore easily get into rolling and tamping vibrations and are therefore less suitable to accommodate cranes that are operated at high speed than classic pontoons. As an offshore stand-alone container transfer station, they are Although they are less responsive to rough seas, they are only of limited suitability for stability.

It is also known from US Pat. No. 5,154,561 a container unloading system which requires, for its realization, two seagoing vessels over which a bridge construction with cats for receiving containers and for transferring to barges is arranged. This solution also has an automation system, which however can not prevent that depending on the sea level only a different, adapted number of containers per day can be handled. The crane bridge to be used between the two seagoing ships, or between a seagoing ship and a pier, is very costly, the adaptation to different ship size loading tasks is not guaranteed and the installation is time consuming and requires special facilities ,

It is an object of the invention to provide a container transfer station, which serve in particular as part of a logistics system and containers can be loaded quickly and inexpensively with high turnover speed. It should be designed independently of ship sizes and land systems and can use standard container crane plant parts as crane modules to reduce costs.

The object is achieved by a floating pontoon, the side crane tracks for moving the container crane parallel to the container ship, the container crane is designed as container quay crane on crane legs and under which preferably at least one movable stacker crane is arranged and wherein the container crane as electrical cat zenkran trained with at least one trolley on a cat track and, if required because of the number of containers to be handled, designed so that it can work with double or quadruple spreaders for receiving two or four containers simultaneously and wherein a, preferably sensor-based, automation system for a crane-appropriate position stabilization of the floating pontoon during crane operation ensures. This results in an offshore container transfer station, which is both cost-effective and allows a handling operation of containers with high operating speeds and up to considerable wind speeds and sea state heights. It should be achieved very advantageous by weight and motion compensation measures high reliability.

It is thereby provided that the container transfer station has at least one container crane, a stacker crane and a cross carriage, which form the modules of a container transfer station with a plurality of container cranes, stacking cranes and cross carriage on the floating pontoon. Thus, the components developed for stationary container reloading tasks can also be used offshore, which leads to considerable cost savings. In this case, a modularity is provided, that is, it can be started with only one such envelope module and an extension can be performed. Investment costs can therefore be stretched. In this case, a modularity with respect to both the components of the container crane system and the floating pontoon is possible, although the floating pontoon is often already manufactured in the final version size. Until the final construction, it can serve as an intermediate storage for containers. In an embodiment of the invention is further provided that the container crane is designed as rope-drawn crane crane with stationary hoists. Thus, a particularly low center of gravity of the container cranes can be achieved, wherein it is very advantageous possible to arrange the hoist drives between or on the legs of the container cranes.

There are further provided constructive measures that simplify and accelerate the handling of the container, such as that the cats of the stacker cranes are designed such that they partially protrude beyond the ends of the Katzbahn and that on the ship-side legs of Kai cranes lashing frames for containers are arranged. This results in a very advantageous liquid flow of working the container cranes, so that under the condition of providing a sufficiently large number of barges an overall turnover speed can be reached, which exceeds the turnover rate of conventional stationary equipment. This is particularly important as container ships have to be unloaded and loaded as quickly as possible, in order to meet their timetable, because of their high operating costs of the order of $ 20,000 per day.

In an embodiment of the invention is further provided that the respective container crane has a nacelle and an E-house, which are located between the located on the ship's remote side legs of the container crane below the level of the cat track. This measure also achieves a favorable center of gravity for the transfer station. In a further embodiment of the invention it is further provided that the container cranes drive units (motors with power converters), the e-energy in the existing on the floating pontoon electrical network are formed back feeding. This results in a high energy efficiency for the container transfer station, which can still be improved by a supplementary energy management. Energy management, for example, ensures that the lifting and lowering of loads is coordinated in such a way that the energy that can be gained when lowering one load is used to lift another load. The same applies to the acceleration and deceleration of counterweights. Surplus energy at one point can be used immediately for electric drives elsewhere in the container transfer station.

It is of considerable importance for the proper functioning of the container cranes that the floating pontoon, on which the container cranes are located, performs only minor rolling and pitching movements. It is therefore advantageously provided that the container crane, preferably by ropes vertically movable counterweights for the load, with which the load forces acting on the pontoon forces can be at least partially compensated. The counterweights may be supplemented in their function by horizontally movable weights in the pontoon itself, which are used in particular when there is a rough sea at the position of the transfer station or when very heavy containers or a number of medium-weight containers are used at the same time. be loaded. Then it is very advantageously possible to hold the pontoon relatively immovable by means of a suitable timing, so that the inclinations of the crane or trolley tracks can be kept inside. remain half of the tolerances in which a slope or a gradient of these tracks is allowed.

In order for the container transfer station to be used particularly well as part of a container transfer system, it is provided that the stacking cranes have a slewing gear on the cat in order to be able to further rotate the loaded containers in a manner suitable for transport. It is thus possible to load truck trailers and barges in such a way that they can be unloaded without the need to turn the containers.

Furthermore, it is advantageously provided for the container transfer station that the container cranes and the stacker cranes have automatic pendulum damping and automatic movement curves for the containers. So it is possible, the advantageous

To achieve transshipment speed of stationary container handling equipment, which also have these known components.

For the floating pontoon itself, it is advantageously provided that it has dimensions which extend beyond the crane rails of the quay cranes in the longitudinal direction, whereby an intermediate storage of containers in the region of crane rails which are extended therefor is made possible on the bow and stern surfaces which result from this becomes. Thus, an intermediate storage of containers is possible if the barge replenishment once stopped. The barges do not necessarily need continuous, but can also enter and leave the barge channels with time differences.

The pontoon itself is up to about 400 meters long and between about 30 and 50 meters wide and, preferably to the outside / up exhibited flared sidewalls and bow and stern sections formed. This results in a Umladestationsplatt- form, in which both the inventively provided Bargen channels are readily accommodated and at the same time has a high stability and a righting moment, which increases with increasing inclination. Due to the barge channels, it is also possible that waves rolling on the bow can partially move through the pontoon, so that a property of the semi-divers is achieved. The pontoon itself should consist of steel or, in particular, steel concrete sections. Reinforced concrete has the advantage that this can cost a large mass can be achieved, so that the pontoon less sensitive to external influences, such as smaller waves or sudden gusts, is.

In an embodiment of the stability properties, it is furthermore provided that the pontoon has lateral trim tanks and ballast tanks in order to be able to increase the stability load in a suitable manner and to achieve a level floating position. As already mentioned in the discussion of the counterweights, it is necessary for the use of conventional container Kai cranes to keep the crane and Katz tracks so that no major gradients are to be overcome by the moving components. This is done in combination with the side trim tanks and

Ballast tanks and possibly the counterweights on the cranes themselves and in the bottom of the pontoon.

The container transfer station advantageously has at least two generators for feeding its electrical network, with a generator, in particular a larger generator, for the supply of electrical or mechanical rudder profile. provided with podded drives or POD drives. It is very advantageously provided that the pontoon of the container transfer station has its own drives to be laid, for example, from one road to another. Serve this electrical or mechanical POD drives, which are known as such.

It is further contemplated that the floating pontoon has a service network with a smaller generator for the supply of crane drives and for the auxiliary drives, etc., which is in particular short-term designed to be 100% overloadable. This results in both a cost-effective and easy to use electrical network, it being advantageously provided that even the smaller generator can be switched to the driving network of the POD drives in order to accelerate the relocation of the container transfer station, if necessary.

In another embodiment than with generators is advantageously provided that the transfer station has a land cable for power supply. Thus, for container reloading stations that are stationed near land, it is very advantageous that the operation of diesel generator sets during the reloading operations can be dispensed with. So it is possible to feed inexpensive land electricity obtained.

For buffering energy which is fed back into the network, it is furthermore advantageously provided that the cranes have powercapacitor or flywheel storage units for storing energy fed back. Such components of a power supply for mobile units are known and can be used advantageously here. To ensure undisturbed operation of the container transfer station, it is further provided with great advantage that the floating pontoon has skew and movement speed sensors, which act in particular on motion stabilization devices with position stabilization circuits for the floating pontoon. The movement stabilization devices are already mentioned above (balance weights in the vertical and horizontal directions) and the device components are connected to one another in such a way that a stable floating position of the pontoon results. In this case, it is particularly advantageously provided that the movement stabilization device is controlled via the movement stabilization circuit by a computing unit which takes into account a model for the movements of the floating pontoon when receiving containers, the method of containers and for settling the containers contains the current pontoon movement. Such a movement model of the Schwimmpontons is very trouble for trouble-free operation in the handling of large loads at high speeds, but also for the compensation of sea-related movements. A computing device can also adjust the position of the pontoon in a wave-direction-optimized manner, wherein an optical sensor device for recording the wave movements and the wave height supports the calculation of the hydrodynamic forces acting on the pontoon by the waves. Thus, a preferably provided pilot control of counter forces is possible.

In order to prevent breakdown of crane cranes on the container cranes or automatic positioning due to vertical movements of the load due to a residual roll movement of the pontoon. Avoid, is calculated very advantageous from the measured rolling motion, the center of gravity of the overall device as well as from the position of the cat on the crane boom an additive correction value for the speed of the hoist, which rather compensates the disturbance.

Furthermore, it is advantageously provided that the container transfer station has a safety sensor which stops the container crane system when the limit movement values of the pontoon are exceeded. For the acceptance of such an offshore container transfer station, it is essential that the safety of the operation and the security against sea and wind damage to the individual components are guaranteed. This is very advantageously a shutdown of the container crane system, if a critical operating condition should set. As a critical operating condition, e.g. to consider working at a wave height and wavelength that could cause the pontoon to rock due to the lifting movements of the container cranes.

The container transfer station can be kept in a stationary position both by the PODs, but it is also possible to anchor the transfer station to save fuel for the diesel generator systems of the PODs. For this purpose, the pontoon on windlasses.

It is envisaged that the container transfer station, also for the expansion of port facilities, can be used as part of a logistics system. For example, containers can be converted from a ship to railway wagons or trailers or vice versa. This allows a quick reaction to Ka capacity bottlenecks in the ports. Very advantageous and purpose of the invention is that while the construction costs of land-side part of the logistics system can be significantly reduced or even avoided, since the construction of expensive Kai systems with access roads, railroad connections, etc. can be dispensed with. Similarly, conventional barges or inland waterway vessels can easily be loaded and unloaded in existing inland waterway facilities.

The invention will be explained in more detail with reference to drawings, from which, as well as from dependent claims further, also inventive, details can be seen.

In detail: FIG. 1 shows a principle cross-section of the crane installation according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the crane system according to the invention;

FIG. 3 shows a principle cross-section through a container ship and a pontoon with retracted barges;

Figure 4 is a side view of the pontoon with the principle arrangement of balancing weights in the pontoon; and

5 shows a plan view of the arrangement of the balancing weights in the pontoon.

The crane system was designed under the following objectives:

- High handling capacity lowest possible center of mass as even as possible distribution of masses over the Width of the floating pontoon (width = transverse to the ship's longitudinal direction) short pendulum lengths> fast and easy positioning of the loads, low lifting speeds> smaller drive power

Use of not significantly modified standard products, such as container cranes and rail-mounted stacker cranes low costs

The crane system itself, as shown in Figures 1 and 2 as part of a floating body, preferably consists of a standard container quay crane 1 as a container crane, a stacker crane 2 and a cross carriage 3 on the floating pontoon 4th

A container ship is designated 5. This is loaded with 20-foot containers 6 and 40-foot containers 7. Furthermore, two inland cargo vessels 8 are shown, which are loaded e- benfalls with containers.

The operations of the crane system are as follows:

The crane trolley 9 of the container crane 1 with the help of hanging on her spreader 10 a container from the ship 5. This is then placed on the crane 1 mounted and therefore traveling with him leash 11. They are equipped with hopper plates 12. They center the container in a fixed position and eliminate any skew angle error that may have occurred during settling (skew = rotation of the load about the vertical center axis). The fixed position considerably facilitates further automation steps. On the lashing frames, the automatic twistlocks (conlocks), which vertically connect the containers to each other on deck, are removed from the lower corner fittings of the containers. If necessary, the customs seal control takes place right here.

The spreader 10 is currently already on the way back to the container ship 5 to get the next container. Once the spreader 10 is over the ship, the cat 13 of the

Drive stacking crane 2 over the container located on the lashing blocks and grab it by means of its spreader 14.

In contrast to conventional Stapelkrankonstruktionen the cat is advantageously constructed so that it partially protrudes beyond the ends of the Katzbahn 15 of the stacker crane 2 and thereby can get the container from the Laschböcken. This offers the advantage that the stacker crane 2, should it be below the crane 1, does not have to be moved to the side to allow the spreader 10 of the crane 1 to set down a container, but only its cat 13. This increases the handling capacity of the overall system considerably.

It has to be considered that in modern maritime shipping the operating costs of container ships are so high that everything has to be done so that they are constantly in use. The waiting time of modern container ships must therefore be kept as low as possible. The essential cost factor here is not the operating time of the facilities that pass the containers from the ship, but the operating time of the container ship, which must also comply with its timetable. The stacking crane 2 is sized so that it can drive completely under the container crane 1, especially under its side members 16, through. This means that he can load and unload inland freight vessels in his work area, completely independently of the crane 1. Its hoist, trolley and crane travel speed are matched to the handling capacity of the container crane 1. If necessary, two to three stacker cranes are used by container crane.

In the event that a container must be transported to a stacker crane in the work area of another container crane on the same pontoon, runs on the pontoon 4, a preferably automatically operated cross car 3 on rails parallel to the ship's longitudinal direction. The cross carriage can be loaded either by the stacker crane 2 or by the container crane 1, but the latter only if the stacker crane 2 is not exactly in the same position as the container crane 1 or has been moved completely to the side.

The loading of the container ship 5 of the inland freight vessels 8 is carried out mutatis mutandis in reverse as the unloading described above.

As can be seen from the patent claims, the container crane system has some new solutions.

For example, the E-house 18 and the nacelle 19 are not, as is common practice, mounted at the top approximately at the level of the catwalk 20 in the area of the ship-side crane legs 21 of the container crane 1, but between the crane legs 22 on the side remote from the ship in the area below of the Si-beam 24th This modification allows a low lying Mas- center of gravity of the container crane and also a counterweight on the side facing away from the ship to the boom 23 of the container quay crane, which is located with its high weight on the ship's side of the float. The crane legs 22 on the side facing away from the ship relative to conventional constructions as far as possible from the ship away, once to provide the stacker crane 2 as much space, on the other hand, to the counterweights 18, 19 to the boom 23 as far as possible on the side facing away from the ship place.

Furthermore, motor-driven cats are not used, but cable-drawn cats and stationary hoists (in the machine house 19) are also used to reach low-lying centers of gravity.

In a particularly advantageous deviation from conventional constructions, the space between the longitudinal members 16 is not completely empty, but only between the ship-side crane legs 21 to beyond the rails 17 of the cross-member carriage.

From there to the ship remote crane legs 22, a platform 25 is retracted between the longitudinal members 16. It serves the storage of

Hatch covers 26 of the ship 5 during the handling operation below deck,

Spare spreaders (necessary because of frequent defects

Spreaders during transshipment), especially OPEN-TOP containers

Containers with over-loading 27. These must be placed at the top of both the 5-seater and inland waterway 8. An energy storage device on board the container cranes is advantageous. It takes in particular when lowering the hoist and braking the cat 9 accumulating regenerative energy and stores it until the next lifting and / or accelerating the cat. As a result, the electrical system of the offshore transfer station is much less burdened by power fluctuations. If the electrical system is designed accordingly, but also a simple recovery of the braking energy can be done.

An energy storage device and an energy management system are also provided according to the invention. Alternatively or in addition to an energy storage device on board the container cranes, an energy storage device for the entire offshore

Transfer station and / or an energy management system advantageous. The latter coordinates, in addition to the energy storage device, the activities of the high-performance drives, especially the hoists of the container cranes 1. Thus, it is e.g. makes sense to lift a crane while the other crane lowers. This significantly reduces the required generator output of the offshore transfer station.

The essential change to the stacker cranes compared to conventional constructions is the already removable from the claims function that the cat can protrude beyond the ends of the Katzbahn, but only to the extent that they can pick up or drop off a container on the lashing frames. Cat, Katzbahn and Katzschienen are changed accordingly. Due to the low height of the stacker cranes is the

Use of known electrical or mechanical anti- Pendulum and anti-skew facilities possible. This favors the automation.

According to the current state of the art of container cranes, the body side is an automatic operation

Container cranes 1, preferably by means of electronic pendulum control systems, easily possible. By ship, on the other hand, manned operations on container cranes are unavoidable for safety reasons. This results in a semiautomatic mode of operation.

The computerized operation of the stacker cranes allows full automation regardless of the nature of inland cargo vessels or barges. The route between the lashing frames of the container cranes and the inland freight vessels as well as the interaction with the container quay cranes and the transverse distribution wagons can also be automated. The same applies to the definition of inland cargo vessels or barges in the barge channels. This can be done with the known vacuum pad or by large magnets.

The system is particularly advantageous for container handling between seagoing ships and inland waterway vessels or barges. Other options for using the system include a connection to the road and / or rail. For example, inland waterway vessels can be equipped with a platform for container truck trailers, which are then loaded or unloaded directly from the stacking cranes 2 at the offshore transfer station. In this case, the stacking cranes must have a slewing on the cat, since containers are always placed with the door back on trucks. Instead of a platform for trucks, tracks for container wagons are also possible on inland freight vessels, which can then also be loaded directly from the stacking cranes 2.

The power supply of the container transfer station is advantageously effected by at least two diesel generator sets, which are e.g. are arranged in the outer side walls of the pontoon. In this case, it is advantageous to divide the generator power into a large generator, which may be e.g. the POD drives can be supplied with energy for the independent laying of the station and into a diesel generator system designed for continuous operation for driving the electric motors in the container crane system and the auxiliary drives, etc., which are otherwise required. These are, for example, the anchor spools, the lighting and also the air conditioning for the crane cabins, if, as planned, the station is used in tropical areas.

In Fig. 3, 30 denotes a container ship being loaded or unloaded. 31 designates the pontoon on which the container cranes not shown for simplicity are arranged. 32 indicates the barges or inland vessels to or from which the containers are loaded. 33 designates the containers on the container ship or on the barge 32 in a representation of the largest loading cross section. 34 denotes the channels in the pontoon 31, in which the barges or inland vessels enter for loading or unloading. As can be seen from FIG. 3, the side walls of the pontoon for the container cranes are advantageously not pulled vertically upwards but are exposed at an angle to the outside. In addition, the pontoon has at its lower corners Schlingerkiele 45, with which rolling movements are effectively damped. Furthermore, the pontoon 31 has POD drives 35 shown in simplified form, so that a seaworthy, self-maneuvering unit is formed, which can also be laid independently via other sea routes. Thus, it is advantageously possible to adapt to the schedule of various container ships timely to achieve different unloading or loading positions, for example, to get from one river mouth to another.

In order to influence the stability and the trim of the pontoon 31, this side ballast tanks 36 on. These are separated by longitudinal bulkheads 37 from the barge area of the pontoon 31. In the pontoon 31 there are transverse channels (tunnels) 38 for stabilizing weights with anti-roll bars 39, which can be moved across the width of the pontoon and can keep it in a horizontal position even when a large load is picked up by the container cranes. While the transverse stabilization weights serve for a horizontal position in the transverse direction, longitudinal channels 40 are provided for longitudinal stabilization, in which longitudinal stabilization weights 41 are located. The weights 39 and 41 are preferably moved by winches over ropes and can have a considerable size, the transverse stabilization weights, for example, up to 300 tons. The weights run advantageously on rails. Their position is determined on the basis of the roll or ramming motion model in the central processing unit for the load handling system of the container transfer station. The weights are used when larger loads are picked up by the container cranes, eg double or quadruple spreaders are used and the loaded containers have a large weight. The weights are advantageously arranged below the waterline 42.

In Figure 4, which shows a side view of the floating pontoon, also the front and rear side 31 of the floating pontoon is visible. The inclination of the front and rear sides is significantly greater than that of the side walls, so that the bow and the rear resistance when laying the pontoon are low. For laying the POD drives 35 are provided as a drive, which can be arranged approximately at the position shown, but also under platforms laterally at the bow and stern of the pontoon. This reduces the draft of the pontoon, which is otherwise considerable. Furthermore, better accessibility and thus easier repair options are given at these positions. The POD's can join this

Easily assembled and disassembled because they can be completely lifted out of the water. Since the POD's are rotatably arranged, rudder systems for the pontoon can be omitted. With the aid of a GPS position determination, the speed and thrust direction of the drives can be controlled so that a holding position of the pontoon can be achieved. Such techniques are known.

Indicated at 38 and 40 are the channels for the stabilizing weights 39 and 41. They can provide fast, dynamic load balancing for the cranes. To influence the swimming position ballast tanks 43 are still provided in the bow and stern, with which the swimming position can be influenced in the longitudinal direction. The bow and stern ballast tanks and the side cargo tanks may provide for an absolutely horizontal floating position of the pontoon. Again, the waterline 42 is located. It is advantageously continuously monitored by ultrasound Scanned sensors, if necessary, the ballast tanks 36 and 43 are filled or emptied accordingly, so that the pontoon with respect to static loads is always horizontally trimmed. The container cranes can therefore move just as well as stationary systems. For compliance with the horizontal position with deviations up to the permissible tolerance serve the transverse and longitudinal stabilization weights, so that even when moving components of the crane system sets a level swimming position. For this purpose, a unit is advantageously provided which automatically regulates the trim position, both statically and dynamically. For this purpose, a model is provided which takes into account the buoyancy forces of the pontoon in the different load scenarios and superimposes the dynamically acting forces.

Figure 5 shows the scheme of the rolling or sliding rails (depending on the balance weight size), which are each arranged between the ballast tanks 36 and 43. The transverse bulkheads are designated by 44 and the weights themselves by 39 and 41. The weights are located below the barge channels 34, which are indicated in a schematic way.

The inventive offshore container transfer station as part of a logistics system is intended to loading and unloading medium-sized and large container ships without them having to visit a quay with appropriate container cranes. The modularized design of the container transfer station enables the system to be extended to include particularly large container ships in the planning stage. The vast majority of international container throughput is currently still based on medium-sized and normal-sized container ships, some of them according to a fixed timetable and partly used according to requirements. In this case, a Utnladestation with two or three container crane units is provided, while smaller ships (feeder) can be unloaded and loaded with a container crane module, without the residence time for the ships is too large. Due to the modularity, it is thus possible to use the offshore container transfer station according to the invention universally, the modularity leading to a further cost reduction.

The use of the offshore container

Transfer station is particularly easy in estuaries or on protected reeds, but it is also a use in sea areas off the coast possible in which not too high wave heights are expected. The precondition for use is that there is a small harbor or landing point for barges or inland waterway vessels nearby, so that the loaded and unloaded containers can be fed into or out of the offshore container transfer station in rapid succession.

Of particular advantage is the use of the offshore container transfer station also in the construction of a new port, as it can already be landed building materials, crane parts, etc. before the port itself can be run by larger vessels, so that during the construction period No large loading and unloading cranes are required.

Claims

PATENT APPLICATIONS

1. Offshore container transfer station, which is designed as a floating pontoon, wherein the floating pontoon has at least one barge channel, which is arranged under at least one container crane and for reloading containers from a container ship on barges or inland vessels or vice versa, characterized in that the floating pontoon laterally crane tracks for moving the container crane parallel to the container ship, wherein the container crane is designed as a container quay crane on crane legs and under which preferably at least one movable stacker crane is arranged and wherein the container crane as an electric cat crane with at least one crane trolley formed on a Katzbahn and is designed so that it can work with double or quadruple spreaders for receiving two or four containers at the same time and a, preferably sensor-based, automation system for a cranesoperative attitude stabilization of Schwimmp ontons during crane operation.

2. Container reloading station according to claim 1, characterized in that they comprise at least one container crane, a stacker crane and a cross carriage, which form the modules of a container transfer station with a plurality of container cranes, stacking cranes and cross carriage on the floating pontoon.

3. container transfer station according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the container crane is designed as a rope-drawn cat crane with stationary hoists.

4. container transfer station according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the cats of the stacker cranes are designed such that they partially protrude beyond the ends of the Katzbahn.

5. container transfer station according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, characterized in that arranged on the ship-side legs of the quay crane lashing blocks for containers.

6. container transfer station according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, characterized in that the container crane comprises a nacelle and an E-house, which is located between the located on the ship's side legs of the container crane below the level of Katzbahn are arranged.

7. container transfer station according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the container cranes drive units (motors with power converters), the e-energy in the existing on the floating pontoon electrical network are formed feeding back.

8. container transfer station according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the container crane container preferably by ropes has vertically movable counterweights for the load, with which the forces acting on the pontoon of load movements can be at least partially compensated.

9. container transfer station according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pelkrane have a slewing gear on the cat in order to be able to turn the loaded containers in a transportable manner.

10. Container reloading station according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the container cranes and the stacking cranes have automatic pendulum damping mechanisms and automatic movement curves for the containers.

11. Container transfer station according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the

Floating pontoon has dimensions which extend longitudinally beyond the crane rails of the quay cranes, whereby intermediate storage of containers in the area of elongated crane rails is made possible on the bow and stern surfaces which result.

12. Container reloading station according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pontoon is up to about 400 meters long and between about 30 and 50 meters wide and preferably to the outside / up flared side walls and bow and Has rear areas.

13. Container transfer station according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the clay consists of steel or in particular steel reinforced sections.

14. Container transfer station according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pon- tone side trim tanks and ballast tanks, in order to increase the stability load adapted and to achieve a level swimming position.

15. container transfer station according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the floating pontoon comprises at least two generators for generating electrical energy, wherein a generator, in particular a larger generator, is provided for the supply of electrical or mechanical POD drives.

16. container transfer station according to claim 15, characterized in that the floating pontoon has a service network with a smaller generator for the e-energy of the crane drives and for the auxiliary drives, etc., which is designed in particular short-term overloadable by 100%.

17. container transfer station according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a land cable for power supply.

18. Container transfer station according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cranes

Powercapacitor units or flywheel storage to store back-fed energy.

19. Container transfer station according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the

Floating pontoon has skew and movement speed sensors, which act in particular on motion stabilization devices with position stabilization circuits for the floating pontoon.

20. Container transfer station according to claim 19, characterized in that below the waterline in the body of the pony tons movable weights, in particular by ropes traversable weights in protective tunnels, are arranged to compensate for a roller blind ramming movement.

21. Container reloading station according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that the movement stabilizing device contains a model for the movements of the floating pontoon when receiving containers, the method of containers as well as for the settling of the container taking into account the momentary pontoon movement.

22. Container reloading station according to claim 19, 20 or 21, characterized in that the Bewegungsstabilisierungsein- direction for a slower lifting of particularly heavy containers or container stacks provides and in particular has a superposed automatic switch-on for the hoists, which causes a lifting of the container so in that the lifting movement counteracts an existing rolling movement.

23. Container Umladestation according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a computing device for the coordination of the load movements with the balance weight movements and preferably a RoIl- motion model, in particular the weight of the load, the current load position, accelerations and instantaneous speeds of the load as well as the instantaneous movement of the pontoon.

24. container transfer station according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that, in order to avoid a disturbance due to a residual rolling movement of the pontoon when depositing a container, from the measured Rolling movement, the center of gravity of the entire facility and from the position of the cat on the crane boom an additive correction value for the speed of the hoist is calculated, which compensates for the disturbance.

25 container transfer station according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a safety sensor which performs a shutdown of the container crane system when exceeding limit movement values of the pontoon.

Container transfer station according to one or more of the preceding claims, that the pontoon wave height sensors, e.g. on ultrasound basis, and wind speed sensors that stop the loading operation when limits are exceeded.

27 container transfer station according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pontoon windlasses and drive units, in particular POD drives with which can be controlled.

28 container transfer station according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it can be used as part of a logistics system that converts containers on railway cars or trailers that are loaded on inland vessels or barges or vice versa.

29. Container transfer station according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pontoon has a position-stop automatic acting on mechanical or electrical POD's, wherein the number of POD's preferably four or six, and wherein the automatic positioner is designed such that it also places the pontoon against the wave direction.

30 container transfer station according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises sensors, preferably cameras, for receiving the wave pattern and for determining the wave height, wherein the sensor data for calculating the hydrodynamic forces passing through the waves on the pontoon act and are used in particular for the precontrol of counter-forces by the POD's.

31. Container transfer station according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises an energy management system which coordinates the activities of the powerful drives, especially the hoists of the container quay cranes (1), such that e.g. one crane lifts one load while the other crane lowers the load to avoid power peaks.

32. Container reloading station according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises standard container quay cranes of suitable size and design (crane modules) on a pontoon in section-wise, extensible form (pontoon modules), the pontoon modules and the crane modules have movement stabilizing devices whose work is coordinated in a position device.