C A R G O F L O W S O L U T I O N S

Hatch covers for

dry cargo ships of all types

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 Ships are your business,
handling their cargo is ours
MacGREGOR leads the
way
Ever since the late 1930s
when MacGREGOR first
launched steel hatch cov-
ers the Group has been in
the vanguard of development
in this business. An established
leading position is evidence of the suc-
cess of our main goals: the quality of our
products and their functional reliability.
Staying number one in the hatch cover
business demands constant develop-
ment throughout our product line.
For all types of dry cargo ships
There are MacGREGOR hatch covers
to suit every type of dry cargo ship,
whether your ship is a general cargo
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ship, bulk carrier or con-
tainer vessel. By install-
ing MacGREGOR hatch
covers you will also have
a wide range of extra
features, accessories and
tools applicable to your
ship type to choose from.
Partners in production
MacGREGOR hatch covers are manu-
factured by carefully selected and ap-
proved production partners in China,
Japan, Poland, Vietnam and Croatia.
MacGREGOR provides conceptual
know-how, design, key components,
continuous production supervision, qual-
ity control and testing.
Lifetime support
Our aim is to add value to your busi-
ness throughout the lifetime of your ship.
Starting at the newbuilding stage, our
naval architects help you develop the
optimal vessel for your specific business
profile by designing integrated cargo
flow systems with customised features.
Once the ship is in service MacGREGOR
provides lifetime support in the form of
maintenance and service solutions that
ensure optimum equipment availability.
Later in your ship’s life-cycle, our mod-
ernisation and conversion programmes
help you get even more from your in-
vestment by optimising performance to
match current market needs.
Over the past 70 years MacGREGOR
has built up unrivalled experience of
hatch covers, from their design,
through manufacture by production
partners, to through-life service.

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 Weathertight expertise
Hatch covers must meet two principal requirements: safety and ease
of cargo handling operations. As an essential part of the deck ar-
rangement the hatch cover has to be weatherproof and has to remain
so when conditions are changed by waves, temperature and cargo.
Role of the hatch covers
A hatch cover system is very important
class-relevant equipment performing
three functions on container and
cargo ships:
• Bearing loads caused by container
stacks stowed on the covers
• Protecting holds from water
ingress resulting in lost stability
• Protecting under-deck cargo from
water damage.
Safety at sea
MacGREGOR hatch cover systems
meet or even exceed the latest strength
and structure requirements, and there-
fore guarantee the performance in
extreme weather conditions at sea.
When specified our solution ensures
hatch cover weathertightness, essen-
tial not only for the safety of the ship
and its crew, but also for the cargo.
MacGREGOR hatch cover solutions
mean safety, efficiency and profitability
throughout your ship’s lifetime.
Optimised port visits and operations
MacGREGOR optimises your container
ship’s port visits. Our lift-away hatch
cover system, allowing non-sequential
and partial opening, combined with ef-
ficient lashing solution speed up cargo
handling operations at port. Easier and
quicker loading and unloading improve
the efficiency of port visits, meaning di-
rectly more profit to you.
MacGREGOR hatch cover systems for
multi-purpose ships are specially de-
signed for efficient transportation and
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handling of any diverse cargo. Custom- Hatch cover type Suitable for:
built, flexible weatherdeck and tween-
deck hatch cover solutions optimise your Pivoting Feeder container ships
cargo handling operations, without com-
General cargo ships
promising safety at sea or performance
Lift-away type Feeder container ships
in port. For bulk carriers, the workhorses
Large container ships
of sea transportation, MacGREGOR pro-
vides cargo access by weathertight roll- General cargo ships
ing or folding hatch covers systems. Bulkheads General cargo ships
Standard folding Smaller bulk carriers
Innovation hand-in-hand with Feeder container ships
environmental thinking General cargo ships
Shipowners and yards are aware that Multi-folding General cargo ships
environmentally friendly ships are both Stacking General cargo ships
economical and competitive. Always
Tween-decks General cargo ships
ahead, MacGREGOR has developed
Side-rolling Large bulk carriers
cranes, rolling hatch covers and a hatch
cover stacking device with environ-
mentally friendly electric drives. Electric
drives are energy efficient, maintenance
friendly, and easy to monitor. They are
also suitable for linking to remote diag-
nostics systems.
Bio-oil for hydraulic systems
On request, MacGREGOR supplies bio-
oil for its hydraulic systems. Harmless
to the environment, bio-oil is designed
to biodegrade to its natural state when
subjected to sunlight, water and micro-
bial activity.
”Green passport” for ships
MacGREGOR is prepared to meet forth-
coming standards with regard to ship
recycling. Draft IMO guidelines propose
a ”Green Passport” for ships. This docu-
ment contains an inventory of all poten-
tially hazardous materials used in the
construction of the ship. MacRACK – a new rack-and-pinion drive
designed for rolling hatch covers makes
hatch cover lifters obsolete.
Keeping you
up and running

Operational availability
MacGREGOR’s ambition is to ensure
the operational availability of your cargo
handling systems. Our service network
consists of more than 60 stations in
major ports around the globe, supplying
original MacGREGOR spare parts and
repair services.

Planned maintenance
Allowing you to plan your operating
budget, MacGREGOR’s planned
maintenance concept rests on the solid
foundation of MacGREGOR’s worldwide
service network.

On-demand service
Our Service Centres worldwide solve
problems as they arise, helping to keep
your ship up and running. We also pro-
vide a comprehensive damage assess-
ment and repair service.

MacGREGOR Onboard Care

MacGREGOR Onboard Care is an
advanced service programme offering
different levels of service to suit your
individual needs in terms of operating
security and comfort.

Modernisation
MacGREGOR has the expertise and the
resources to upgrade ageing cargo
handling equipment to the latest per-
formance standards.

Conversion
MacGREGOR conversion packages en-
hance or change the original functionality
of the ship, adapting it to changing mar-
ket requirements.

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 Lift-away
hatch
covers
Lift-away hatch covers are available as
single or multi-panel units. The hatch is
opened with a spreader using the ves-
sel’s cranes or container cranes on the
quay. After removal, the panels can be
stowed on top of adjacent covers which
are placed on the quay or on the ship’s
deck.

Lift-away hatch covers have two key

features that make both loading and un-
loading very flexible: they can be opened
in an independent order, and they allow
partial hatch opening, a major benefit
when the deck is full of containers.

Multi-panel units are designed so that

there are several panels for each hatch
opening. Besides being practical on
cellular container ships, multi-units offer
merits for heavy-lift vessels and multi-
purpose cargo ships.

Multi-panel covers
are used for cellular
container ships in
the case of longitudinal
joints, and for multi-
purpose cargo ships
in the case of trans-
versal joints.

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Non-sequential operation of hatch
covers enables flexibility in loading
and discharging.

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 Folding
hatch covers
Hydraulic folding hatch covers can
be designed in various configurations
to fulfill almost any requirements on
hatch opening size, uniform loading,
container arrangements and operation
possibilities.
All covers are custom-built according
to the vessel, owner’s requirements and
trading pattern. The covers are designed
to meet all classification requirements.
Folding hatch covers for the tweendecks
in a vessel’s cargo spaces are designed
to give sufficient space for cargo hand-
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ling equipment, trailers, stowage of con-
tainers, pallets, packaged cargo etc. The
covers are operated either hydraulically
of by wire from local or remote control
positions.
Various combinations of partial opening
allow cargo or containers to be stowed
on the other sections of the covers while
working cargo. This is a significant time-
saving feature since normally no cargo
needs to be removed.
As modern dry cargo
vessels become more
‘open’ there is less deck
space available for
stacking covers, which
has made high-stowing
hydraulic folding covers
popular.

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 Rolling
hatch covers
Rolling covers are divided into two main
types: side rolling covers open athwartships
and end rolling covers forward or aft. Both
types are well suited for use as weatherdeck
covers on dry bulk carriers and, when de-
signed to sustain internal liquid loads, also
for OBO and Ore/oil ships.

The panel arrangement of hatches consists

of one or two panels. In two panel hatches
the panels stow on opposite sides. If neces-
sary, both panels can be arranged to stow
together on one side.

Choosing between end and side rolling

covers is a question of ship configuration.
If space at hatch sides is constrained, the
end rolling type is preferable. If there is lack
of space lengthwise a piggyback configura-
tion can be considered. In this configuration
one of the two panels is lifted to allow the
other panel to be driven underneath. The
panels can then be driven as a stack.

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 Safety
Safety is of paramount importance
for all MacGREGOR hatch covers. All
MacGREGOR-designed hatch covers
conform to the latest rules. However,
the strength of the hatch covers is not
the only factor enhancing safety. Several
key elements must be considered to
achieve a safe system, starting with
important features like the ship’s layout.
Attention must be paid to hull movements
and coaming deflections so that locators
and support pads can be arranged in
an optimal way.

Emphasis is put on features like improved

support pads, long-life rubber seals and
strong and flexible cleating systems.
The locators are generally replaceable
and adjustable. Investing in safety improves
the ship’s life-time profitability.

The traditional side-rolling

cover consists of two pan-
els per hatch, each panel
rolling sideways on a pair of
transverse ramps, thus pre-
senting a minimum obstacle
when loading.

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 MacGREGOR Group AB
P.O. Box 4114
SE-400 40 Gothenburg
SWEDEN
Published by the MacGREGOR Group, Group Communications,
Tel: +46-31-85 09 00
October 2007, Copyright © MacGREGOR Group 2007. All rights Fax: +46-31-85 09 01
reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced; stored in a
retrieval system; photocopied; recorded or transmitted in any form,
or by any means electronically, mechanically, or otherwise without the Visit us at:
prior written permission of the copyright owner. www.macgregor-group.com

Where to find MacGREGOR

Romania
B R I I FFI 10/07

MacGREGOR is part of Cargotec Corporation