ANCHOR WINDLASSES: A DESIGN PROPOSAL TO STANDARDISE REGULATIONS

Abstract

Shipbuilding is an increasingly competitive field. As the key players in this activity, shipyard managers have to make their counterparts in related industries aware of two conflicting needs. On the one hand, they must produce high quality components that are technologically advanced. On the other, they need equipment that lets them build vessels at a reasonable price. With this second aim in mind, it would be useful to standardise both design and manufacturing processes. At the same time, ship owners always impose regulations. The manufacturers of deck equipment must therefore adapt their product designs to comply with these regulations, some of which have aspects in common. However, guidelines also differ on many points. This makes it difficult to reach desirable levels of standardisation in equipment design. The situation can be summed up in a phrase: for each vessel, a specific design. This article will first provide a comparative overview of current legislation. A proposal for anchor windlass design is then presented in an attempt to make the various regulations more cohesive. The objective here is to reach an acceptable degree of standardisation and, consequently, lower costs by applying economies of scale.