Baydelta Chooses Rapp Marine Electric Tow Winch
For several decades, Rapp Marine has designed and delivered towing winches for workboat market. Combining the best ideas from Rapp’s past work in the other commercial industries and recommendations from the tugboat operators, Rapp Marine has developed long lasting and dependable towing winches. These past towing winches have mainly been powered using hydraulic systems in the North American market.
Rapp Marine has previously delivered electric winches to commercial vessels in other industries such as research, oil & gas, and fisheries for years. Rapp Marine has now developed and built a unique, fully electric driven double drum tow winch on a new 110’x40’ tractor tug for Vessel Chartering LLC, a wholly owned division of Baydelta Navigation Ltd. The tugboat is designed by Jensen Maritime, and is built by JT Marine Shipyard. Driven by a single 100 HP motor, the winch can pull over 75 tons at first layer, and utilizes pneumatic cylinders in place of hydraulics, keeping fluid off of the deck. The sturdy brakes offer a force of 250 tons on the barrel layer. The main drum can store 2,500’ of 2.5” steel wire, and the storage drum can store 2,200’ of 2.25” steel wire. Both drums are equipped with level winds, and can spool 90’ of 3” chain on top of the steel wire. Another feature is an electric ‘come home’ drive, which will serve as a back up to the main drive train.
The winch’s main control station will be situated in the wheel house, with secondary controls located on the winch. The main control station will employ Rapp Marine’s advanced Pentagon Tug PLC Control System, that provides more efficient and safer operations for towing vessels. The Pentagon System features a touchscreen with tension and wire length readouts, auto-tension capability, and automated haul-in and pay-out settings, as well as capacity for logging data.
For this new tugboat, set to be delivered at JT Marine later in 2017, it will also feature Rapp Marine Twin 14” Tow Pins. The pins designed to withstand up to 225 tons of force from the tow winch’s 2.5” steel wire rope. The tow pins are driven by a Rapp Marine supplied dual 5HP hydraulic power unit.
Rapp Marine also offers a line of electric and hydraulic driven mooring winches, anchor windlasses, capstans, and cranes.
