Published by Anish in Marine Safety On March 25, 2019

A General Overview of Engine

Room Crane and Safety
Features

A ship is a huge floating structure that is propelled

with the help of the main engine, along with several
other machinery and systems inside the engine room
which require proper operation and continuous
maintenance. Maintenance and repair of engine room
machinery require moving heavy parts from one
place to another.

As individual parts of the main engine and machinery

of the ship weigh in tonnes, engine room crane
operation and safety play a major contribution to the
continuous operation of the ship. In this article, we
will learn about one such equipment which helps
immensely in this process – the engine room crane.

General Description of Engine Room Cranes

The merchant vessels are fitted with engine room

cranes mainly as per the main engine specification.
This is done so that the crane can lift all the
individual parts of the engine during routine
maintenance. Normally, the capacity range for these
cranes is from o.5 to 15 tonnes.

Sometimes two cranes are fitted in an engine room,

wherein space and reach is a problem, to simplify the
lifting operation. One crane with two hoists is also
commonly fitted onboard.

The engine room crane consists of a motor coupled

with a wire drum so that the motor can lift or lower
the crane hoist by winding or unwinding the wire
over the drum. The whole system is then fitted in a
trolley.

Two pathways are built with a rack and pinion

arrangement, both in the transverse and longitudinal
direction of the engine room and over the main
engine, where the trolley is placed so that the whole
unit can move fore-aft and port starboard.

A remote is provided so that the crane can be

operated from any position, thus allowing the user to
keep a safe distance from the lifted load. It is the duty
of the responsible engineer onboard to operate the
crane and to have regular checks on the safety and
working of the crane. The second engineer is
responsible for the operation, maintenance and safety
checks of the engine room crane.

Safety Features of Engine Room Crane:

1) The most important safety feature of the crane is

the electromagnetic fail-safe brakes which do not
allow the crane to fall with the load even when there
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– Normally centrifugal brakes are used which

are fitted inside the rotating drum.

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– The brake pads are always in an applied state

and pushed by magnetic springs when not in
operation or when there is a power failure.

– As the crane is operated or the power is

supplied, the spring gets pulled inward or
compressed due to the electromagnetic effect of the
current. This allows the crane to be operated
normally.

2) Emergency stop is provided in the remote so

that the operator can stop the crane at any time.

3) The motor is fitted with a distance limit switch

in both transverse and longitudinal directions so that
the travel of the trolley and hence the crane should
not overshoot the rack’s end.

4) Mechanical stoppers are provided for both

directions in case the electrical distance limit trips
fail.

5) The up and down travel of the hook is also

attached with an automatic stopper to avoid
overloading of the motor.

6) The motor is fitted with a thermal protection

trip. When the motor windings get overheated, the
trip will activate saving the motor winding from
burning.

7) Load limit switch is also fitted which will trip

the motor if the load to be lifted is above the crane
capacity.

8) It’s the responsibility of senior officers to

operate the crane and to make sure all the personnel
involved in any lifting operation are at a safe distance
during the operation of the crane.

9) Additional tools like i-bolts, shackle, wire sling,

belts etc. used for lifting must be checked before use.

10) It should be noted that no one walks or stand

below the crane when it is in loaded condition.

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