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50 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News Offshore vessel operations are increas- ingly more complex. In particular, onboard cargo management including heavy crane operations requires tools for monitoring the vessel's stability and strength. Today, high speed computer systems are available to assist crew and management to meet operational requirements. Autoship Systems Corporation (ASC) with the effective system delivery process of Coastdesign Norway A/S (Coastdesign), offer off- shore vessel companies a turnkey solu- tion to loading computer requirements. From the start, Autoship System Corporation has strived to adopt a sim- ple, sophisticated philosophy for devel- oping Autoload: the program must be simple to use, yet apply the most accu- rate mathematical analyses to all calcu- lations. Therefore, a brief look at the Autoload screen is designed to provide the user with a quick and accurate pic- ture of vessel's current stability status, loads and important margins. The user can then make critical decisions, while leaving the 3D model based mathemati- cal complexity of the problem to the computer. Today, this development philosophy has been maintained in the recent release of the new generation of Autoload, Autoload 6. One of the advanced yet simple to use new features in Autoload 6 is a cargo and crane han- dling module. Autoload's cargo handling capability was first developed in response to large cargo vessel fleet's (Wallenius Wilhelmsen) cargo planning require- ments. This particular version of Autoload includes a direct interface with the company's booking system, advanced stowing, port rotation, cargo tracking, etc. The Autoload 6 Cargo/Crane Module The Autoload 6 cargo and crane mod- ule was developed for vessels where deck cargo and crane lifts are critical for the vessel's stability. Thanks in a large part to the ASC CAD software develop- ment, the cargo and crane handling module has a powerful 3D graphical interface for cargo editing and visualiza- tion. The new graphical user interface permits the operator to edit the deck cargo and carry out crane operations in 2D and 3D graphical interfaces. The crane geometry and capacity, and cargo deck(s) are hard-coded in the 3D vessel model. Any movement of cargo or crane(s) updates the vessel's floating position and stability margins each time the mouse button is released. Even the weight of the crane boom itself is taken into account when moving the crane. The operation is designed to be sim- ple. The operator can simply drag and drop cargo onto the deck, drag the cargo inside the crane's operational range, left click the crane, select/hook the cargo, and move the crane with the mouse. The left mouse button controls the cranes topping and slewing angle, whereas the right button click moves/controls the knuckle jib angle (or telescope length). The operator can create any cargo item, and place it on deck by use of a Don’t Get Burned. Firesafe & Watertight Cable and Pipe Penetration Seals Piping • Valves • Fittings • Valve Automation • Metrics • Metals RISE doesn’t just stop fire cold, it also cuts installation time dramatically so you won’t get burned financially. The RISE cable and pipe penetration sealing system is virtually impenetrable to fire, smoke, gas and water. For a copy of the groundbreaking booklet “Everything You Should Know About Cable and Pipe Transits to Ensure a Safe Vessel” or for more information, contact W&O Supply. 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