Marine crane vessel and method of operation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10875748-B2
Application number	US-201716346350-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 10, 2017
Priority date	Nov 11, 2016
Publication date	Dec 29, 2020
Grant date	Dec 29, 2020

Abstract

A marine vessel and a method of operation of such a marine vessel include a crane with a boom including a main boom section and a jib section and a variable length stay mechanism. The lattice boom is movable from a hoisting position into a parking position by a routine including operating the variable length stay mechanism allowing the jib section to fold towards the main boom section. The crane is provided with a fixation device adapted to establish fixation of the jib section relative to the main boom section in a folded position. A boom rest is mounted on the hull. The routine further includes operating the luffing assembly to position the jib member of the folded jib section, fixated to the main boom section, in the parking position onto the boom rest.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A marine vessel comprising:
a hull;
a ring bearing mounted on the hull; and
a crane, the crane comprising:
a revolving superstructure mounted upon said ring bearing;
a boom pivotally mounted to the revolving superstructure, the boom comprising:
a main boom section, comprising:
a boom member, the lower end of the boom member being pivotally mounted about a pivot axis to the superstructure; and
a main boom strut, an end of the main boom strut being mounted to an upper end of the boom and extending essentially perpendicular to the boom member; and
a boom stay extending between the main boom strut and a lower portion of the boom member;

a jib section mounted pivotably about a pivot axis to the main boom section, the jib section comprising:
a jib member, an inner end of the jib member being pivotably mounted about the pivot axis to the upper end of the boom member;
a jib strut, an end of the jib strut being mounted to the inner end of the jib member and extending essentially perpendicular to the jib member; and
a jib stay extending between the jib strut and the jib member; and

a variable length stay mechanism provided between the main boom strut and the jib strut;

a luffing assembly comprising a luffing winch mounted to the superstructure and a luffing cable extending between the superstructure and the main boom section; and
a hoist winch, a hoist cable and an object suspension device, the hoist cable extending from the hoist winch along the main boom section and the jib section to the object suspension device,

wherein the boom is movable from a hoisting position into a parking position by a routine comprising:
keeping the boom member in a raised position;
operating the variable length stay mechanism allowing the jib section to fold towards the main boom section, wherein the crane is provided with a fixation device adapted to establish fixation of the jib section relative to the main boom section in a folded position;
fixing the jib section relative to the main boom section by the fixation device to maintain the jib member and the boom member essentially parallel in the folded position, wherein a boom rest is mounted on the hull; and
operating the luffing assembly to position the jib member of the folded jib section, fixated to the main boom section, in the parking position onto the boom rest.

2. The marine vessel according to claim 1 , wherein the fixation device is provided at the main boom section.

3. The marine vessel according to claim 2 , wherein the fixation device is able to fix the jib section relative to the main boom section by receiving the object suspension device or part thereof.

4. The marine vessel according to claim 1 , wherein the fixation device is able to fix the jib section relative to the main boom section by receiving the object suspension device or part thereof.

5. The marine vessel according to claim 1 , wherein the fixation device comprises complementary fixation members provided at both the jib section and the main boom section.

6. The marine vessel according to claim 1 , wherein in said step of keeping, the boom member is at a forwardly angled position, and wherein during said step operating the variable length stay mechanism, the luffing assembly is operated to position the boom member in a vertical position, while allowing the jib section to fold towards the main boom section.

7. The marine vessel according to claim 1 , further comprising a control device programmed to perform at least the steps of operating the variable length stay mechanism and operating the luffing assembly of the routine automatically.

8. The marine vessel according to claim 1 , wherein the boom rest is mounted on the hull about vertical leg openings, said boom rest being structurally anchored to the hull, independently of a leg and an elevating unit thereof.

9. Method A method of operation of the marine vessel according to claim 1 , for moving the boom of the crane from a hoisting position into a parking position, comprising the steps of:
keeping the boom member in a raised position;
operating the variable length stay mechanism allowing the jib section to fold towards the main boom section;
fixing the jib section relative to the main boom section by the fixation device to maintain the jib member and the boom member essentially parallel in the folded position; and
operating the luffing assembly to position the jib member of the folded jib section, fixated to the main boom section in the parking position onto the boom rest.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein in the step of keeping, the boom member is at a forwardly angled position, and wherein during the step of operating the variable length stay mechanism, the luffing cable is operated to position the boom member in a vertical position, while allowing the jib section to fold towards the main boom section.

11. A method of operation of the marine vessel according to claim 1 , for moving the boom of the crane from a parking position into a hoisting position, comprising the steps of:
operating the luffing assembly to move the jib section fixated to the main boom section from the parking position onto the boom rest to a vertical position wherein the jib member and the boom member are essentially parallel in the folded position;
detaching the jib section from to the main boom section;
operating the variable length stay mechanism allowing the jib section to pivot away from the main boom section until the jib section is at a hoisting position; and
operating the luffing device to position the main boom section in the hoisting position.

Assignees

• Itrec Bv

Inventors

• Van Veluw Cornelis Martinus
• Roodenburg Joop

Classifications

• B66C23/68

  foldable or otherwise adjustable in configuration · CPC title

• B66C23/525 Primary

  Double slewing cranes on ships · CPC title

• B66C23/52 Primary

  Floating cranes (floating dredgers E02F) · CPC title

• B66C23/78

  Supports, e.g. outriggers, for mobile cranes · CPC title

• E02B17/00

  Artificial islands mounted on piles or like supports, e.g. platforms on raisable legs {or offshore constructions}; Construction methods therefor ({construction methods for floating platforms B63B75/00}; anchoring floating platforms B63B21/00; floating platforms, e.g. anchored, B63B35/44; {underwater reservoirs B65D88/78}) · CPC title