We’re taking shipyards to new heights by asking the right questions

Need to increase your shipyard’s capacity but not sure where to start? Taking the time to understand six core considerations at the very beginning of shiplift design will save you time and money and avoid costly mistakes. We’ll take that time with you to arrive at a winning game plan that fits your yard’s distinct set of variables.

Reignite Your Yard's Potential

Six core factors to understand

Controlling overall project costs begins with understanding local geology. Geology governs dredging costs, soil retention methodology, foundation system type, and capacity. Understanding the geology, configuring the system to optimize the civil foundation system capacity, and controlling dredging costs are key to achieving the lowest possible installed facility cost.

Target Market

What types of ships is this shiplift intended to lift? We’ll help you define you’re target market and find the perfect shiplift size with Bardex’s Predictive Intelligence.

You know you need more capacity, but how do you prepare to present the best business case to management? Bardex will assist you with data analytics that provide insight into the regional demand for service.

Elevate your yard

Our chain jack shiplift technology is the gold standard in accuracy, reliability, and sustained value over the 40+ year service life you can expect from your investment. Why?

Fewer Moving Parts → Less Maintenance → Less Downtime → More Revenue & Less Hassle. Win-Win

Maintenance-prone items, such as variable frequency drives (VFDs) susceptible to overheating, gearboxes, brakes, bearings, sheaves, and wire ropes, are nowhere to be found in our shiplift designs. Neither is environmental pollution caused by submerging greased wire ropes and sheaves. And our chain based system will never experience a failure resulting from a rope skipping a sheave, snagging, and breaking due to debris lodged in the submerged lower sheaves. This risk is unique to operating a wire rope shiplift block underwater that does not normally occur with other similar types of marine or land based wire rope lifting equipment. Modern-day genius at its simple best.

Meeting official standards, exceeding your expectations

Our shiplifts meet (and in some cases exceed) the common standards below, and we would be happy to discuss any not listed here.

  • Lloyd’s Code for Lifting Appliances in a Marine Environment for classification or certification
  • NAVSEA’s Safety Certification Program for Drydocking Facilities and Shipbuilding Ways for U.S. Navy Ships (MIL-STD-1625D(SH)
  • The Coast Guard’s Surface Forces Logistics Center’s (SFLC) Standard Specification 8634 – Drydocking

The best teams work together. Shouldn’t each of your lift stations work in sync too?

Accurate position control and synchronization provide a perfectly level lift down to 1mm across the entire platform without operator intervention.

Is Your Legacy Wire Rope System Driving Costs Up?

What goes up must come down, and Bardex will work with you to forge a path forward.

What does that path forward look like?

  • Using the existing civil works with little to no modifications
  • Reducing the quantity and size of piles under the shiplift piers by up to 33%
  • Reducing concrete for pier construction by up to 50%
  • Reducing pile cap thickness by up to 25%
  • Increasing your market share and revenue potential resulting from up to 25% more lift capacity with the same number of lift stations
  • 20% to 33% reduction in operating expenses vs legacy wire rope systems
  • Upgradeable after original duty life or when your yard outgrows its current needs, as some of our repeat customers have
chainjack

A Chain Jack? What’s that?

One of Bardex’s most important product innovations and contributions to the heavy load handling industry is the Linear Chain Jack. This piece of equipment represents one of the safest and most efficient ways to lift, tension, or move heavy loads using chain.

Unlike a wire rope drum with fleet angles, and as the word “Linear” in the product’s name implies, the chain is always lifted, pulled, or tensioned in a straight line. There are no induced link bending stresses or interlink wear from bending it around a chainwheel under load.

The Bardex Linear Chain Jack has a significantly reduced footprint compared with windlasses, winches, and other devices.

Bardex has designed the Linear Chain Jack so that the chain is always mechanically held by either the fixed or traveling latches. This makes it impossible for the chain to be released inadvertently due to loss of hydraulic power or operator error.

Ship Support Systems

Bardex designs and manufactures three types of ship support systems: trestles, cradles, and carriages.

Trestles are individual structures consisting of one tapered plate girder. They are compatible with self-propelled modular transporter (SPMT) and rail-based bogie transfer system equipment. These are most commonly used for submarine docking. Trestles are very flexible and can support a variety of vessels and blocking arrangements.

What Ship Transfer System Is Right for You?

Transfer mechanisms for moving vessels around in a shipyard fall into two main categories: SPMT or rail-based transfer. Bardex designs both types of systems, and we manufacture rail-based transfer systems. SPMT devices are commercially available from several global providers.

Geometry and geology together inform transfer system selection. Rail based systems are more cost efficient in poor soil conditions with low bearing capacity. SPMT systems produce very high ground pressure and require a firm surface to operate safely but are the preferred choice when faced with irregular yard geometry and soil conditions allow.

Making the correct decision on transfer technology is essential to achieving an economically viable facility.

SPMT Systems

SPMT systems are the preferred transfer mechanism for yards with irregular geometry. These units are routinely used in complicated heavy-load moving applications due to their high capacity and maneuverability.

Geology, however, is an important consideration. These transporters produce high wheel loads and require a high-capacity drive surface. Facilities located on reclaimed areas or soft ground conditions can require expensive remediation to create the necessary capacity. SPMT devices are complicated machines and require a substantial amount of regular maintenance. The initial purchase cost of an SPMT system is greater than a rail-based system of equivalent capacity.

Rail-Based Systems

Bardex designs and manufactures two types of rail-based transfer systems: towed carriages and self-propelled hydraulic transporters, commonly referred to as bogies. Rail-based systems work well at facilities with good geometry where intersections are at right angles. They also provide an advantage in locations with soft ground conditions. The ship loading occurs along the rail system, allowing for a cost-efficient foundation design. Vessel support is provided only where required, rather than for the entire facility.

Carriage-Based Systems

Carriage-based systems are an excellent choice for high-volume facilities. Carriages are inexpensive to fabricate and maintain. They have the lowest height and require the least amount of steel. Carriages can operate on single rails, rather than rail pairs, reducing the capital and operating expenditures of the refit yard.

Carriages can be towed using conventional wheeled or tracked heavy equipment. Lateral transfer or change of direction has historically been accomplished by means of a lateral transfer pit or by creating a two-level yard. Side transfer capability can be built into the carriages without the need for either feature using the Bardex proprietary modular carriage design.

Bogie Systems

Bogie systems offer ease of operation and efficient use of yard space. They do not require lateral transfer pits or split-level yards to effect a change of travel direction. These devices require fewer personnel to assemble and operate. Bogies have a lower initial purchase cost and maintenance cost compared with SPMT devices. Operation is fully remote.

Download our Shiplifts & Transfer Systems Brochure