Proof load testing of boat hoist, to determine winch safety

Summary of the Project

Unique Group’s Buoyancy & Ballast division successfully completed proof load testing of 70t boat handling hoist to verify the safety cut out limits of the hydraulic winching system.

Client Requirement

ABP (Associated British Ports), our client, wanted Unique Group to carry out a load test using water-filled bags on their 70t capacity boat handling hoist. The test was performed to verify the safety cut out limits of the hydraulic winching system.

Unique Solution Delivered

The boat hoist has four independent winches, so we attached 20-tonne water bags and calibrated load cell shackles to each winch. The test was conducted in three phases as below:

•  Filled all the four water bags to 50% of SWL, 8.75 tonnes per bag, then the readings from the onboard gauges and load cells were compared.
•  Filled all four bags to 100% of SWL, 17.5 tonnes per bag, and again compared the readings.
•  We continued filling all bags whilst monitoring the loads at each point to verify the safety cut out point.

The project was completed and the site was cleared in one working day.

Benefits delivered

• Experienced Technical team providing on-site support
• Cost-effective solution
• Efficient and reliable method
• HSEQ Compliant
• Customised solution