How to choose a marine windlass?
The marine windlass is installed on the main deck of the bow of the ship and is used for anchoring and mooring. Usually, the windlass and the mooring machine form a linkage unit installed at the ship's bow and used for anchor lifting and anchoring. And mooring cables.
When choosing a marine anchor windlass, you need to consider the following aspects:
1. Product structure
Marine windlass usually consists of an anchor, anchor chain, winch, support frame, etc. The anchor is used to grip the water bottom, the anchor chain connects the anchor to the hull, the winch is used to tighten or loosen the anchor chain, and the support frame supports the entire device. When choosing a marine anchor windlass, you need to choose a product with reasonable structure, compactness, ruggedness, and durability.
2. How to choose products
When choosing a marine windlass, you need to consider the following points:
① The size and power of the winch need to match the size and weight of the anchor chain to ensure that the windlass can work properly.
② The reliability of the windlass needs to be considered. When choosing a marine windlass, you need to choose a brand and model with a good reputation and reliability. At the same time, during installation and use, it is also necessary to operate by the instructions to ensure the reliability of the windlass.
③ The weight and size of the windlass need to be considered for installation on the ship. At the same time, the price and maintenance costs of the windlass also need to be considered.
3. Technical parameters:
① Anchor chain diameter: Φ8—105mm
② Working load: 2-1000kN
③ Winch pulling force: 2-1000kN
④ Motor power: 0.75-100KW
4. Product advantages
① It has good reliability and safety. It can quickly stop or guide the ship to a designated location, avoiding the risk of the ship losing control.
② It has high efficiency and flexibility and can cope with various changes and requirements in complex sea areas.
③ It has good economics, can recover the cost in a short time, and can save a lot of expenses in the long term.
5. Usage scenarios
Marine windlass is suitable for various scenarios, such as ports, coastal, offshore, inland rivers, and other scenarios. When choosing a marine anchor windlass, you need to choose according to the usage scenario. For example, in shallow water areas, you need to choose a small windlass and a small anchor chain; in deep water areas, you need to choose a large windlass and a large anchor chain.
Things to note when using anchors:
If you are traveling on a channel or during berthing and unberthing, just set the anchor above the water surface. This can not only meet the requirement of being dropped at any time but also avoid getting entangled with objects in the water. If it is a formal anchoring, it is generally believed that when the water depth is below 25 meters, the anchor should be set up to the water surface; when the water depth is between 25 meters and 50 meters, the anchor should be set up close to the sea bottom; when the water depth is above 50 meters, the anchor should be set up until it touches the bottom.
When using the windlasses, navigators need to pay attention to the following safety requirements:
1. Make sure the anchor chain and rope are long enough to maintain the anchor's position during low and high tides.
2. When using anchor chains and anchor ropes, the condition of the anchor chains and anchor ropes should be closely monitored to ensure that they do not develop any major problems.
3. When using the windlass, strict safety procedures need to be followed to ensure that all crew members can operate the windlass safely.
4. Regularly check the appearance and electrical equipment of the windlass to ensure that it can work properly when needed.
Before anchoring, in addition to studying factors such as the anchor water depth, bottom material, current, surge, wind force, distance from other ships, and dangerous object information, you should also carefully prepare the anchor. The so-called anchor preparation is to make all the preliminary preparations for the anchor to be dropped at any time. After adjusting the head, the auxiliary engine suddenly tripped, causing the ship to lose control. Under the dangerous situation, the captain ordered an emergency anchor, but the bow of the ship did not prepare double anchors in advance. In a panic, the bow operator made a mistake while busy, and eventually the left anchor and anchor chain were lost!
