January 5 - ABS has published a new edition of the ABS Guide for Certification of Lifting Appliances that includes the construction and operation of modern lifting appliances.
The provider of classification and technical services says that the revised ABS lifting appliance guide provides the marine and offshore industry with a clear and precise set of requirements that fully address the existing and new technologies.
Input from industry experts has been gathered over a two-year period and ABS says this is reflected in the guide's more precise requirements for crane machinery; electrical and control systems; structure, material, fabrication, non-destruction evaluation and testing.
Structural requirements for shipboard, offshore and heavy lift cranes have also been completely revised and updated. New requirements have been added for subsea lifting, motion compensation systems, rope tensioning systems and computer-based control systems for cranes.
Particular attention was given to updating requirements for personnel lifting, added ABS. For the emergency recovery of personnel, three different levels of redundancy in the emergency recovery control systems of cranes have been established.
"The new lifting appliances guide is a single point of reference for certification," claims ABS vice president and chief engineer James Gaughan. "The improved presentation of the requirements facilitates use of the guide and improves consistency in implementation."
The newly revised guide can be found at www.eagle.org.
