Ibercisa, based in Vigo, has received a visit from Mr. Ian Cohen and Mr. José Mata, representing the Authority of the Panama Canal who are in the City in order to inspect the machinery for the first tugboat of a series of 14 which the Panama Canal Authority is having built at the Armón shipyard. The visitors from the PCA were at the Ibercisa factory to oversee the construction of the two winches for this first vessel. These winches are hydraulically driven and will be situated at the bow of the vessel with a stowage capacity of 150 m of synthetic rope of 80 mm. They both have a pull of 20 Tns on the first layer at a speed of 11 m/min and a second speed for manoeuvres carried out by the cabiron, reaching a pull of 4,10 Tns and 16 m/min. The static brake capacity is 210 Tns. Given that these boats are operating 24 hours a day, they have chosen winches with gears in constant oil bath, thereby reducing maintenance. The stowage roller is driven by an electric motor, which is controlled from the bridge and allows "criss-cross" stowage. The winches have been custom built according to owners requirements and fulfilling the requisites of the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), The official classifier for ships and vessels. The Panama Canal allows navigation for vessels of up to 365 metres in length and it is estimated that the annual traffic crossing the canal will be much higher than the over a million tons which presently use it and with ships of up to 19 rows of containers as opposed to the present 13 with a heavier weight than the present 85,000 tons allowed. This requires that the tugboats being used, as well as their deck machinery, be powerful and reliable. It is hoped that the Canal will be operative at the end of 2014 and this will be the first tugboat to operate from the new terminal. This is not the only delivery by Ibercisa to the Armón Shipyard, as they have supplied a number of machines for vessels built at this yard. Of particular interest is the recent delivery of a stowage winch for spare wire with a capacity for 1,600 m of 83mm wire, electrically driven by a 90 kw motor and brake with frequence converter. This winch is for a tugboat presently under construction at Armón and has a gearbox with three sets of gears and a first layer pull of 26,9 tons and 34.9 tons on the overcharge. The machine is for a VO85 vessel and is the first delivery of a set of nine with their corresponding controls. Also for Armón, for a C710 vessel, is an Ibercisa combined bow winch and a bow towing winch. This tugboat is for the Santander Company R.U.S.A. (Remolques Unidos S.A.). The first combined winch has two rollers for stowing up to 100 metres of 100 mm rope each and two anchor windlasses for 22 mm. The stern towing winch has two drums for 800 m of 55 mm wire and another for 300 m of 55 mm wire. The order for this company is completed by two auxilliary SIRGA type winches and an electric capstan. Another of the tugboats built at Armón in Vigo, the first of a two unit order and destined for the Port of Leixoes is also supplied with a winch built by Ibercisa. This is a towing winch with a 190 m capacity for 90 mm rope, with the drum divided into two parts and the central wing is dismountable; its pull is 10,5 tons at 41 m/min on the first layer and a brake capacity of 120 Tons. This vessel also has an anchor windlass and Ibercisa has supplied the electric capstan, a tow hook and the hydraulic drive. The Vigo company has been expanding in the last few years both in personnel and machinery with a clear objective to compete in a highly competitive and globalized market. The company offers technical solutions and custom built designs always adapting to the customers requirements. Technological Challenges Ibercisa is presently dealing with important technological challenges as it is completing the design for the manufacture of two towing winches AHT type mod. MR-E/930/2/2500-89 for installation aboard the two tugboats under construction at the Armón Shpyard of 180 Tons B.P. The machine which is electrically driven, has two waterfall drums, each with a capacity for 2,500 m of 86,9 mm wire. The electric motors are of permanent magnet type, with elevated par at low revolutions. The machine offers 350 Tons at 10 m/min on the first layer with the same pull, speed increases until 50 m/min when the offload is against the dynamic brake. The capacity of static brake is 600 tons on each drum, divided between the two differencial band brakes. For greater versatility each motor works with gearboxes joined together by a declutching transmission which allows the drums to work simultaneously reducing the pull by half. Wire stowage is carried out by 4 rollers which move independently permitting them to move in time with the wire guide or in opposite directions in order to allow the shackles and joints to pass freely. Each roller is driven by chains geared on wildcats by two electrical motors and by epiciloidal gears. The final weight of this winch is around 280 tons.