Heavy Equipment Industry News Updates

The US Navy has conducted tests on an innovative used container crane handling system that will allow fully laden containers to be passed between ships without access to a deep harbour, even in rough seas. The system has attracted attention from civilian users, in sectors such as offshore oil and gas.

The Large Vessel Interface Lift On/Lift Off (LVI Li/Lo) system has been under development by the US Office of Naval Research (ONR) and contractor Oceaneering Advanced Technology for the past five years. The project was developed as part of the US Navy's Sea base Concept, which envisages the capacity to establish 'Sea Bases' or offshore floating ports that would allow the Navy to ensure logistics flow between ships without securing a deep harbour.

A demonstrator version of the system was installed on the SS Flickertail State in 2009. This month, the Flickertail State performed tests of the system in the Gulf of Mexico, safely transferring 128 containers from one ship to another, with waves up to 1m in height. The crane's operators were able to lift and place unobstructed containers, to lift containers obstructed on multiple sides, and to place containers into obstructed holes in a container pile.