Deck Equipment Update Markey Machine’s Innovation Never Sleeps
Innovation within the realm of deck equipment continues to be a constant force driving advancements in the maritime industry. The fundamental functions of a winch or crane remain unchanged. Modern iterations often offer significant improvements in efficiency, size, and operational capabilities.
Markey Machine: Setting New Standards in Marine Winches
Seattle-based Markey Machine has experienced a transformative year, marked by an ownership change that promises future growth. Notably, Markey has announced an impressive three-year warranty for its winch lines, setting a new industry standard where one year or 18 months has been the norm.
Markey Machine garnered significant recognition by becoming one of the five finalists for the prestigious Innovation Award at the TugTechnology Conference in Rotterdam, Netherlands. This was a testament to their cutting-edge Agile Concept, an escort-operations, bow-mounted winch that has received widespread acclaim. Four long-time clients have already placed orders for this revolutionary design.
The Agile Concept: A Game-Changer in Escort Winches
The Agile Concept winch is designed for environments where space is at a premium. This includes the area between the staple and the ship-escort hawser winch. We substantially redesigned the athwartships dimension, reducing it and integrating the previously independent L-shaped gearbox with the winch. This innovation results in a footprint reduction of 16.4% over previous models.
Tim McCallum, senior vice president of engineering, technical, and economics at Signet Maritime, praised Markey’s commitment to maintaining high quality while adapting to changes in tug design. “We were looking for weight reduction and a modified footprint while retaining the Class III escort winch features and the renowned winch control system,” he stated, highlighting Markey Machine’s Render/Recover® winch control as one of the standout features.
Introducing the DESH-5 Two-Sheave Level Wind
Another notable addition to Markey’s product line is the DESH-5 Two-Sheave Level Wind. This unit builds on the design of previous three-sheave units, incorporating several enhanced safety features. For instance, the absence of reverse bends in the cable path extends the cable service life. The rotating flagging sheaves eliminate the need for a winch turntable, reducing both cost and complexity
Mechanical actuation via a hand wheel directly coupled to the diamond screw further reduces the overall level-wind cost by eliminating extra sensors, motors, and variable frequency drives (VFDs). This new Level Wind has already been ordered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for use aboard the Ron W. Brown, as part of an extensive upgrade effort for the vessel.
