Patent of the month
Patent
application : WO2023031573A1
Russell Edson discusses containing environmental impact
The global shipping industry currently faces increased pressure to provide faster , cheaper and more environmentally friendly freight transport services . Solutions include using greener fuel sources such as hydrogen or nuclear , greener propulsion methods such as wind power , or overhauling operations by slowing vessels down and planning more efficient routes .
The best way to reduce the environmental impact of shipping is to reduce the number of total journeys . A World Shipping Council report estimated that on average a total of 1629 shipping containers are lost at sea every year . These containers often float just below the surface of the ocean , which can be hazardous to other vessels and marine life . Such losses also mean the end customer will not receive their order and a replacement container will have to be shipped . Lost containers are therefore hazardous to both freight traffic and the environment . One consideration for making shipping more environmentally friendly is therefore reducing incidences of container loss . In 2022 , Clive-Smith Associates Limited filed a patent application for a system to improve the protection of columns of containers on a container ship against transverse sway . On 9 March 2023 , this application was made publicly available under the publication number “ WO2023031573A1 ”. The application describes a lashing device , as seen in Figure 10 below . The device has columns ( 83 ), which are supported by stays ( 71 ), and restraints in the form of projections ( 70 ).
The projections ( 70 ) extend from the columns ( 83 ) in order to prevent transverse sway . Crucially , however , the projections are moveable . The description sets out that the projections can move vertically along the columns ( 83 ), using actuators . Meanwhile , Figures 10 , 11 and 16 show that the projections ( 80 ) can also be rotated if fixed on the columns ( 83 ) by pivot pins ( 96 ). Each of the configurations of the projections provides
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