40 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News
K-Sea Transportation's 5,750 hp push-
er tug Irish Sea was the first tugboat to
be outfitted with Acomarin's new Model
700H ATB-Coupler Pushpin. The tug
has been fully operational in tandem
with the K-Sea's black oil tank barge
DBL155 (165,882 barrels) since March
2005.
The product is the result of Acomarin
embarking on a mission to develop and
deliver a new and improved ATB sys-
tem. In conjunction with the Technical
Research Center of Finland VTT,
Acomarin built a scale ATB-model for
tank tests. More than 100 tank tests sim-
ulating various operational conditions
were performed in order to provide suf-
ficient experimental data for examining
the stresses and strains associated with
the pushpins for a variety of operational
environments. The data taken from these
tests were used to develop empirical
based equations that are required to
design the appropriate pin sizes for any
given tug-barge combination.
As a result of these tests, Acomarin
developed its new hydraulic Pushpin
Coupler system, resulting in a stronger
unit, but with the same pin diameter as
previously used, the company said. The
operation of the Acomarin coupler
design uses a digitally controlled sys-
tem, which incorporates modern PLC-
techniques.
A single serial bus cable connects the
wheelhouse PLC to the local controller
PLC located in the Pushpin room. The
digital control system is provided with
portable remote control sets, which
allow the docking and undocking opera-
tion to be monitored and/or actuated
from the wheelhouse room or from any
location on the tug using the remote
control units. The position of the port
and starboard pins are monitored and
positional readouts are provided to all
control stations.
An emergency disconnect button is
wired directly to the wheelhouse so that
the pusher pins can be quickly (5 to 10
seconds) disengaged from the barge in
the event of an emergency. This emer-
gency function is available only at the
wheelhouse control panel while operat-
ing in the Sea Mode position only. The
emergency quick disconnect switch is
cap-protected in order to prevent acci-
dental activation. Also, in the event of a
"Dead Ship," i.e. all power in the tug-
boat is lost, the pusher pins can be man-
ually retracted in the pushpin room.
The pusher unit contains newly devel-
oped bushing-bearings designed to sus-
tain the steady state and transient forces
as the tug pushes the barge in rough
weather. In additionm, increases in
strength, corrosion and rotational wear
has been reduced with the introduction
of a new hardened cast stainless steel
piston.
The prototype installation, which was
tested, modified and commissioned on
the Irish Sea-DBL155 Barge, is success-
fully operating in the high seas.
In anticipation of business expansion
in the U.S., Acomarin will soon open an
engineering office in Maryland.
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Irish Sea & DBL fully loaded on the way to Tampa FL from Houston, TX.
Mika P. Laiho on Port Pushpin- Cylinder.
Local control panel
New Hydraulic Pushpin Enters Service
MR AUGUST 2005 #5 (33-40).qxd 8/4/2005 9:06 PM Page 40
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