Transas Marine developed a new shipyard crane simulator under a request from BALENCIAGA Shipyard (Spain). The simulator will enable safe and cost-effective training of crane operators working with berth gantry crane of 160 t. BALENCIAGA Shipyard purchased this crane in 2006 in order to build large ship construction blocks which are assembled in the workshops and then transferred outside by hydraulic buggies.
The related crane operation is a complex procedure that is affected by a significant risk of damaging expensive equipment and ship construction parts. In order to reduce the mentioned risks it was decided to plan and pre-play the units operation procedures with the use of computer simulation.
The simulator helps to investigate physical capability of a crane and ropes to lift a particular hull construction segment. Using Transas simulation, balance correctness is calculated when connecting ropes to cargo (to prevent ropes twisting and cargo capsizing). Trainees can practice collision avoidance of cargo with surrounding objects when cargo is being lifted and transported by a crane. Construction segments that are designed for real vessels are imported into simulation scenarios to enable most realistic training in handling this type of cargo.
The peculiarity of the project is that BALENCIAGA Shipyard will be able to load and display user-created components. The major objective is to obtain knowledge of components dynamics and determine the best mounting point. The crane simulator was integrated to the existing Transas navigational and manoeuvering simulator NTPro which has been used for new building projects. Combination of two simulators provides a cost-effective solution since they both use the same visualization. In addition, this configuration provides for efficient development of new vessel projects.
Balenciaga S.A. Shipyard began its activity in 1921 and from its foundation the building of wooden vessels and steam boilers for propulsion purposes was the main activity. Following an ambitious investment programme, BALENCIAGA Shipyard has expanded its range of steel hull ships, up to 90m LOA, which now include tug boats, offshore support vessels (Stand-by Rescue, PSV, ROV Support, Dive Support, AHTS), fishing vessels, cargo vessels, ferries and product carriers.
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Source: transas, May 20, 2011;