PLM has a long history of ship conversions from
1200t coasters to 70,000 dwt panamx carriers. PLM will undertake
the entire conversion including conveyors and re-classification
of the vessel on a turn key basis or will provide the cranes only.
PLM has in house Project Management capabilities to assist Owners
wishing to undertake the deck works independently.
PLM conversions are a low cost, fast method of turning a new
or old vessel into a high powered, high value vessel. Permanent
works such as steel and mechanical are minimal so you can convert
an older vessel without taking a lot of risk. Within two or three
years, the entire conversion cost can be recovered. In many cases,
the increased earnings potential of the converted vessel makes
the capital value of the converted ship much higher than the total
investment including the ship itself..
PLM cranes are self-powered, eliminating the need to add generating
capacity to the vessel. Deck conveyors do not require a lot of
power and can commonly be powered from ship's service or a package
generator on deck. In the case of converting an existing geared
bulker, generally the feeder panel for the existing pedestal cranes
is used to power deck conveyors after the existing cranes are
removed.
Many different configurations are possible to allow the vessel
to:
- self-load
- self-unload to ships or barges
- self-unload to shore via conveyor
- trans-ship
- salvage
A typical conversion consists of:
- deck rails and supports
- 2 x PLM jib cranes on gantries
- 2 x wheel loaders (4 cbm capacity)
- deck conveyors
- 65m telescopic conveyor boom along with deck strengthening,
support tower, luffing and slewing
Average through the ship unloading rates including hold cleaning
from 1,500 tph to 3,000 tph are achievedable. Manpower required
on a two crane vessel is about 29 persons.
Conversion takes place in two basic steps.
Firstly, the ship is taken alongside
at a convenient location for steel works consisting of deck rails,
boom support tower and deck conveyors. The vessel is alongside
for approximately 3 weeks and does not need to be docked. Lead
time is about 6 months. The vessel may then go back in regular
service or may go to Rotterdam to be outfitted with cranes. This
work can be done at any location in the world.
Second stage is to take the vessel
to Rotterdam for installation of the cranes and conveyor boom.
Time in Rotterdam is about ten days. It is possible to ship the
cranes and gantries anywhere in the world however, this takes
time and money. It is generally beneficial to undertake this phase
in Rotterdam to get the conversion completed as soon as the cranes
are ready. The increased earnings and savings in shipping the
cranes more than justifies positioning the vessel.
In many cases, the deck works have been undertaken in Poland
subsequently motoring directly to Rotterdam for installation of
the cranes. Logistics of the project depend on the trading pattern
of the vessel. |