Ibercisa has delivered new, compact, render and recovery electrically driven towing winches,  in line with its continued development of this type of winch for both electric and hydraulic drives.

The Company is delivering the equipment for the tugboats that Fortescue Metal Group are building at Damen, a total of 6 boats, therefore 12 towing winches (6 Forward Render and Recovery Winches and 6 Aft towing winches). The winches are designed and manufactured in Vigo and the Project Manager from Damen Shipyards Group, Mr. Joost van der Weiden, visited the Ibercisa installations to oversee the project.  The winches enjoy all the latest "render and recovery" technology and apart from the clutch and dynamic brake all the rest of the machinery is electrically driven.

 

This project is especially important for Damen as normally they design and build the vessel, but in this case, the boat was designed by the Canadian company Robert Allan and Damen has been responsible for the engineering involved.  " We build the boat and we supply to the client but this system is very special for us as we are accustomed to hydraulic drives. We have also supplied boats with electrically driven deck gear but not with this "render and recovery" technology which is the big innovation" explains Mr. van der Weiden.

 

This technology is precisely the challenge involved in the cooperation between the two companies. "Render and Recovery" is a complicated feature and everyone in the tugboat industry knows this.  There are boats and some tugs which navigate with this technology on board but we know from our own experience that it is a challenge to ensure that everything works perfectly.  There are many adjustments to be made.  It is the most advanced technology and the biggest challenge for this vessel.  The rest is just a tugboat says the project manager from Damen.

 

Damen was present at the factory trials and will soon proceed to install the equipment in the company's shipyard in Vietnam. " Ibercisa has already shown its worth in the fishing industry but we are now talking about tugboats which are different.  This is the first "render and recovery" for a Damen tugboat, so if all goes to plan it will further strengthen Ibercisa's name in the "render and recovery" machinery market which complies with the highest standards of quality, security and practicality.  This is of major benefit and key importance to Ibercisa".

 

"The first boat will be delivered in October 2018 and it is hoped that the last one will leave the slipway in February 2019. "I am in charge of the building of these boats and also other projects such as the development of a tugboat propelled by natural gas instead of diesel.  Its a big innovation by Damen".

 

One of the winches is driven by two electric motors with a power of 2 x 132 kW with a line pull capacity of 102,98 tns at 10,69 m/min on the first layer and the other driven by an electric motor of 75kW and a line pull capacity of 27,5 tns at 14,4 m/min on the first layer.