Hatch cover service grows in importance
Peter Peltenburg, group director of the Rotterdam‐headquartered supplier of hatch cover spare parts and services, said a number of larger owners were signing longer‐term contracts to ensure their vessels were ready to carry the cargo safely and without damage.
“Owners and managers are also looking to new and improved alternatives to their existing spare parts and we are finding many more owners are asking our advice for the best options available,” said Peltenburg.
Cargo Care Solutions recently renewed a spare part supply contract with French owner CMA Ships and has signed an agreement with AP Moller/Maersk. The CMA Ships contract covers items such as rubber packings, cleating devices and hatch cover support pads.
Peltenburg added: “Recently there has been a lot of interest by owners and managers for repair work on their vessels and more ships are going back into drydock. We have found that, whereas clients have asked for replacement products in the past, they are now looking for new alternatives and asking for those.”
Cargo Care has developed new versions of seals for hatch covers with non‐sequential opening. The weather tight sealing of the cross‐joints between pontoon hatch covers that are operated nonsequential or partially have traditionally been achieved by different air inflated sealing systems. These sealing systems have proven to be very easily damaged causing weather tightness problems throughout the hatch cover system. Cargo Care Solutions’ version replaces those vulnerable seals without using air inflation. “The Cargo Care Solutions cross joint sealing system offers the same flexibility in hatch cover operation, but is much more damage resistant,” said Peltenburg.
