MacGregor Securing Advances Improve Safety and Productivity

MacGregor, part of Cargotec, continues to drive container securing and stowage advances that deliver substantial efficiency and safety improvements for both new and existing ships. A recent highlight is the innovative A-class MacGregor lashing bar. Shipowners are keen to benefit from the product, with current orders totaling around 200,000 units. 

The A-class lashing bar offers a way of unlocking the considerable amount of unexploited cargo carrying potential on many container ships. "It is one of our responses to the challenge of optimizing cargo carrying capacity," says Magnus Ahlström, lashings expert and Key Account Manager at MacGregor. "With an optimal lashing system you have the potential to carry hundreds of extra containers."

The lashing bar has an innovative rod head that allows more ships to enjoy all the advantages of converting to an external double-cross lashing system. External lashing reduces both lifting and compression forces on the container stack. A container stack secured with external lashings has more flexibility in weight distribution and can carry heavier and potentially more containers compared to a stack with internal lashings. In the right circumstances, this equates to one more containers for every stack.

"Internal lashing was traditionally the only practical possibility due to a number of limiting factors. Most critically has been the transversal gap between containers, where a distance of at least 38mm was previously needed," Mr Ahlström explains. "The A-class bar offers a wider operational range to include both vessels with a 25mm transversal gap or with previously incompatible lashing bridge heights."

For conversion to an external lashing arrangement, little or no modification work is necessary to the eye plate arrangement on the lashing bridges, but strength calculations for lashing bridges and hatch covers should be considered due to increased loading capacity.