A large number of construction projects take place on land, where a lot of time and effort goes into raising tall buildings and properties for a range of uses. But construction is also a huge part of the marine industry, where huge boats and off-shore vessels demand lots of equipment and expertise to assemble and maintain.
This is where winches and hoists of all kinds come in handy, where these mechanical devices are designed for lifting heavy loads, often in small spaces or on difficult terrain. A winch generally consists of a chain or rope which winds around a rotating drum. With a hook or attachment on the end, this motorised lift can haul a range of items and materials.
What Is The Marine Industry
The marine industry is a broad umbrella term for any type of commerce that takes place near or on the water. This can be categorised in a number of ways, where some of the key sectors include:
Leisure
Marine leisure can be divided into domestic and commercial activity, where large cruises demand lots of resources and maintenance. Ferry services provide vital transportation routes and come in a broad range of sizes, whilst individual domestic sailing boats and yachts also require places to dock and regular upkeep.
Engineering
This broad segment of the marine industry encompasses ship building for commercial purposes or to provide for the navy. Offshore marine work may include construction for marine renewable energy, as well as oil drilling and laying offshore cables.
Research
Marine research and scientific exploration is also a big part of the industry, where large investments are made in new technologies and equipment to support educational and research endeavours, as well as conservation efforts.
Imports & Exports
The sea is a vital passageway for trade, where ports provide a busy place for businesses of all kinds to load and unload their products. Cargo shipping can involve huge containers that transport oil tankers, compressed gas and livestock all over the world.
Fishing
On both a commercial and a domestic scale, the fishing industry overlaps with many of these aforementioned sectors, where it involves loading in ports, as well as leisure and conservation. On any scale, fishing demands precision machinery and well maintained vessels.
The Marine Industry & Winches
All of these sectors demand a huge amount of labour, construction and maintenance, all of which is made easier with a winch or hoist. Uses for this kind of machinery in the marine world differ depending on the scale of the project, and whether it is a domestic or commercial endeavour.
Domestic Winch Use
For domestic boat owners, a winch or hoist is a useful tool for all kinds of manoeuvring tasks. A winch could be used to move a boat out of the water and onto a dock, or a hoist can lower a new vessel into a port or canal. They’re also useful during construction or remodelling projects for moving heavy materials and furnishings.
Winches can also be used by lifeboat crews for a range of rescue purposes. Larger lifeboats can winch small boats to safety, whilst helicopter winches are designed to lift people out of the water if they are in danger.
Commercial Winch Use
Commercial winch uses are more wide ranging, where their heavy lifting capabilities can be applied to a number of construction tasks. Commercial cruises rely on heavier mooring winches than domestic vessels, whilst large off-shore sites rely on winches for getting heavy and expensive machinery in place safely. For repairs, an industrial hoist can provide access to the underside of boats and equipment.
Atlas Winch Hire & Hoist Services: A Marine Industry Staple
Atlas Winch & Hoist Services can provide your construction project with essential lifting equipment and expertise to deliver excellent results at an affordable price. We have a range of state of the art equipment for hire, where our technology allows the marine industry to thrive.
We provide a range of specialised services especially designed for boating, off-shore construction and other marine projects. This includes:
Offshore/Onshore Drilling Installations – where our mounted and small hand winches are the perfect tool for these technical processes, allowing for the installation of drilling units, rigs and diving systems
Shipyard Services & Equipment – we can provide mooring winches, lifting devices and a range of international facilities for ship-to-shore movements, where we ensure deliveries and unloading processes run smoothly
Marine Barge Load Outs – where our power packs and heavy duty winches can support large projects such as submersible rig loadouts, where heavy vessels are relocated from skidways to a cargo barge
Our Product Range
At Atlas, we’re proud of our extensive range of winches and hoists which are perfect for any construction project. Many of these products are especially designed for marine work, where our current supply consists of:
- Air Winches – where compressed air facilitates the lifting of heavy loads
- Diesel Winches – designed for reliable heavy lifting, where they can be utilised for mooring, barge loud outs and shore side cable pull-ins
- HPUs – Hydraulic Power Units, necessary for controlling safety equipment and valves on ships or drilling platforms, where we provide diesel, electric and petrol units
- Hydraulic Winches – another tool for heavy lifting, this winch is typically utilised on ships and docks
- Utilities Equipment – products especially designed for the utilities industry, including pipe pulling, cable drums and portable capstan winches
- Deck Equipment – these products are vital attachments and accessories for marine winching, including snatch blocks, farleads and other rigging equipment
- Load Monitoring – our systems can provide you with extra construction data, logging your lifts and monitoring winch activity
- Rigging Equipment – necessary to support a vessel’s masts or sails, our range includes wire ropes, shackles and slings
- Spoolers – we provide both electric and self propelled spoolers for all your marine construction needs
- Hoists – our range includes mobile and heavy duty options, where we can provide equipment for any lifting task
- Electric Winches – our models include Dynamic Power Optimisation, where you can adjust the speed and capacity of your electric boat winch depending on the scale of your project
- Mooring Equipment – necessary no matter the size of your vessel, we provide anchors, buoys and other equipment to suit you
Our Other Services
If you’re hiring equipment from us, then we can also provide you with a qualified engineer or winch operator to ensure your machinery is utilised correctly. Added to this, we offer a refurbishment service, where we can apply our expertise to modifying or adapting any winch model you may already have.
Our team of experts are also equipped to deliver bespoke packages and contracts depending on the needs of your site, where we will provide you with a unique solution that takes into account your budget and timeframe.
In addition to hiring out machinery and providing complimentary products, we also sell used and refurbished winches. If you’re looking to invest in equipment for long-term use, then our second-hand winches and hoist are an affordable and sustainable alternative to buying new.
We also provide comprehensive maintenance and testing services as standard. These consist of site visits, repairs, on site training and safety testing. We always keep customer satisfaction at the forefront of what we do, where these steps ensure your project will run smoothly and safely.
The Atlantic Carrier: A Satisfied Winch Customer
At Atlas, we’ve undertaken a range of large scale winch projects and fittings, where you can review these case studies for a comprehensive insight into our services.
One such example comes from Atlas’s contract with Atlantic Marine & Aviation, where we supplied and installed a complete six-point mooring system on the “Atlantic Carrier” vessel. We provided a whole range of high quality units for this project, including HPUs, hydraulic drum winches and fully modernised central bridge controls. This installation process included comprehensive testing and a full sea trial of the new system.
This example illustrates our expertise in serving the marine industry, where our full range of products and services means that we can provide all the essentials for a high-tech refurbishment.
If you have any marine winch or hoist needs, then contact us today for more information, where we can provide expert advice and talk you through our range of products.
