Two by two across the dockyard

Ship launches are usually stage-managed with a great deal of hubbub.

The huge ships are named, then launched into the water with great fanfare. This is the end of a manufacturing process that lasts for months, and this process is characterised by large amounts of heavy goods transport.

Within and between the halls, the ship components need to be constantly moved from one work stage to another. This process can also be seen in Braila, Romania. Here, the VARD company, part of the Fincantieri Group, operates two of the country’s dockyards.

+/- 130 ° Steering angle for turning circles

Two Cometto type SYT 3/2 dockyard transporters are used to ensure that the many individual elements come together at the end to form a large ship. ‘Because VARD has been very satisfied with the performance of the first vehicle all these years, it decided to purchase a second, identical vehicle’, explains Head of Sales Giovanni Monti.

With these two special vehicles, VARD moves a wide variety of components around the Braila dockyard. The surface of each loading platform is 75 m² and they can each carry 156 t. Because the hydrostatically propelled vehicles can be coupled together, there is maximum flexibility when it comes to the dimensions of the payload. The steering angle of +/- 130 degrees in both directions means that it is even possible to turn circles in the tightest of spaces.

The most advanced technology for maximum safety

It’s the precise steering and powerful lifting hydraulics that make the transporters so valuable for dock logistics’, says  Giovanni Monti, listing the advantages, adding: ‘The electronic height control and the hydraulic axle compensation means that there is even load distribution across all the wheels, regardless of the terrain.’

At VARD in Romania, the operator in his ergonomic cab can rely on the most up-to-date knowledge systems. The digital diagnostic system provides all the necessary control information in real time. It is sophisticated technology for optimal transport safety, as  Giovanni Monti goes on to explain. ‘The on-board computer provides a constant view of the weight and load centre. The overtwist lock on the drive and an automatic power adjustment provide additional support.’

Safety comes first and is guaranteed thanks to well thought out technologies. This means that the Cometto dock transporters will continue to handle the toughest tasks in Braila for the foreseeable future.

Two by two across the dockyard
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