Marine cranes 'a must on boats'

FITTING a truck-type crane to a fishing boat instead of one specially designed for marine use can cause costly accidents, according to Petrel Engineering of Cape Town.

"Truck-type cranes are designed to work on a stable and horizontal platform often secured using hydraulic outriggers to ensure stability. A marine vessel provides a very different platform: one that moves and rolls, " warns the company which has supplied big-catching hauling and lifting systems to vessels worldwide.

"Even in harbour a vessel experiences a pitching and rolling motion and, in a rough sea, this motion is more pronounced. The effect is that it induces a swing in the load being lifted."