Each shipset of MacGREGOR equipment serving a new series of 14,800 dwt RoLo forest products carriers includes a stern ramp/door, side loading system, cargo elevators, hatch covers, and fixed cargo securing equipment

Stern access, side-loading, hatch cover and cargo securing systems designed by MacGREGOR serve three RoLo forest products carriers recently delivered by Poland Stocznia Gdynia yard for deployment by Swedish owner B&N Nordsj¶frakt. This year Finnpine (hull 8222/2) and Finnwood (8222/3) have joined Finnfighter (8222/1), which led B&N new series into service in December. A fourth ship is also an option.

The 14,800 dwt series has been specially designed for the high-quality transportation of forest industry products. B&N says that its new ships form the base for a new system service between Europe and North America. The efficient cargo-handling system and design ensure rapid, high-quality loading and unloading, while the vessels speed capability and seagoing characteristics will reduce delivery times. The ships also have the highest ice classification, which means that ports in the Gulf of Bothnia can be served during the winter season.

Although purpose-built primarily for forest products, the RoLo vessels are also configured to carry containers, rolling and bulk cargoes. The usual rotation sees the ships loading paper for the USA in Finland and Zeebrugge, and discharging the complete cargo in Philadelphia. Newsprint and woodpulp are then loaded in Canada for the UK and Continent. A versatile stowage arrangement using bulkhead doors and a folding tweendeck in No 2 mean that three to five cargo separations are available: for example, bulk, paper and timber cargoes can be loaded at the same time. The bulk cargo back-loaded for Europe in Savannah, Georgia, is china clay, and although this is not carried all that often each of the three ships has loaded it once.

Safe and efficient cargo handling on these ships is executed by a MacGREGOR outfit serving the four holds and comprising:

• a stern ramp/door
• a side-loading system installed on the starboard side including three cargo elevators
• folding hatch cover sets for the weatherdeck levels of holds 1, 2 and 4, and for the tweendeck level of hold 2
• four bulkhead doors
• three power packs
• fixed cargo securing fittings.

MacGREGOR was also commissioned to supply four shell doors (pilot and bunkering).

Rolling freight

Stern access for rolling freight to the tweendeck level is arranged over an 18m-long (+3m flaps) ramp/door with a driveway of 12m into a 6.4m-high opening. The ramp is operated by direct-acting hydraulic cylinders on each side and closes watertight as a stern door.

Rolling access into the aft hold tweendeck is via a top-hinged single-section bulkhead door which is hydraulically raised to offer a clear opening 21m wide x 6.4m high. The forward end of this hold is served by a watertight side-hinged bulkhead door comprising two sections which are hydraulically actuated to yield a clear opening 16.4m wide x 6.2m high.

Side-loading system

The hydraulically-operated side-loading system installed on the starboard side of No 3 hold serves tanktop and tweendeck levels. Its watertight door 15.2m wide x 16.0m high encloses single and double loading platforms arranged with three independent 16-tonne capacity conveyors. In deployed mode, the platforms are pivoted outboard over the quay; guiding rails on the hull allow their position to be adjusted to the quay height.

Three cargo elevators connected to the loading platforms are each designed to handle a paper reel load of up to 16 tonnes with a maximum lifting speed of around 27m/min.

Installed forward on No 3 hold tanktop is a side-hinged bulkhead door offering a clear opening 15.9m wide x 5.2m high; another side-hinged bulkhead door connecting the tanktop levels of Nos 2 and 1 holds yields a clear opening 17.4m wide x 5.2m high. This pair and the tweendeck bulkhead doors are operated by direct-acting cylinders.

Folding hatch covers

MacGREGOR high-stowing folding hatch covers are specified for the weatherdeck. Nos 1 and 2 holds are each served by four-panel end-stowing Foldtite sets giving respective clear openings of 24.8m long x 21m wide and 19.2m x 21m. No 4 hold is equipped with a single panel-pair folding set. The hydraulically-operated covers are designed to accept container stack loads ranging from 56 tonnes (20ft units) to 65 tonnes (45ft units).

High-stowing folding covers are also installed in No 2 tweendeck, the 2+2 panels operated by external hydraulic cylinders to yield a clear opening 24.8m long x 20.24m wide. In the open position the panels are tightened with the Hydro-Seal system so that they are dust-tight, allowing the hold to carry china clay.The set is designed to accept a uniformly distributed load of 8 tonnes/m² and diverse vehicle loads from MAFI wagons, forklift trucks and RoLux units.

Cargo securing

MacGREGOR Securing division supplied outfits of fixed cargo securing fittings comprising: twistlock pockets (type LF and type ZU-UK/1) especially designed for these vessels to B&N requirements; lashing eyes; flush lashing eyes; lashing pots; and dovetail foundations.