Foss Chooses Markey Machine for Winch Upgrades
Foss Maritime recently elected to refurbish two existing Markey winches aboard the Foss tug Hawaii.
Though other options were considered, “these winches have been ideal for bringing the barge up tight against the stern of the tug,” noted Foss’ Danny Riser, Captain. “The brake-holding capacity of the 32s (Markey model DEPC-32) is well-suited for mounting on our 5200 HP Z-drive tugs. I’ve been a lifelong fan of Markey winches, so for us it was an easy decision.”
The tandem electric models had served so well historically that only refurbishment made sense. Procurement staff also noted that the winches might be utilized on the tug Earl W. Redd in the future as well.
Markey’s new winch inspection service, Sentinel Survey, marked the first phase of the job. Foss was one of the first customers for Markey’s Sentinel effort several years ago. As word of the new service spread, Sentinel has grown and evolved. Markey now services other manufacturers’ winches also. Service now exceeds conventional inspection, to include vibration analysis and thermal imaging. The final report provides comprehensive information necessary to make informed budgetary and planning decisions. Markey’s Sentinel customer base has expanded to include other tugboat operators, and new fishing and government vessel customers. Sentinel Survey is comprised of current Markey production and design engineering staff.
Markey’s DEPC-32 model has 107 tons of brake-holding force, which is notable for such a compact winch. The winch develops 11,350 lbs. of line pull at 50 ft. per minute line retrieval speed, at the barrel layer. The winch drum accommodates 525’ of 6.5” circumference synthetic line.
Scott Kreis, Vice President of Sales and Engineering at Markey, said Foss had played a key role in the development of this model from the very beginning. “We have been most fortunate to have a customer like Foss. Both firms were established over 100 years ago locally, and in many ways we’ve grown together over these years.”
The Foss upgrades package for the tug Hawaii will be completed later this year.
